Forever and Always
by PartofYourWorld-ArielMermaid
Summary: Sequel to Life at the Academy. Final story of Jim and Raphaelle. When Delbert and Amelia's children are kidnapped, Jim, Raphaelle, and their friends set out to bring them back. But things get complicated when the ransom doesn't consist of gold or wealth. How is Raphaelle gonna get out of this one? JimXOC. Fourth in my Treasure Planet Series.
1. Chapter 1

Forever and Always

Chapter 1

Everything was dark, and it was hard to see anything past my hand. I spun around, trying to find a light or some indication of a way out of the darkness.

I started to panic, feeling the darkness begin to suffocate me. I started crying hysterically, still turning around trying to find anything other than the nothingness around me.

I heard someone call my name, and turned towards the sound. I saw a light far off in the distance, and could just make out Jim standing underneath it.

"Jim!" I called.

I started running towards him, stumbling towards the light in the darkness. He started moving towards me too, and the light seemed to follow him as he ran.

I was only a few meters away, and my arms were stretched out to embrace him.

But then I heard a loud bang, and Jim stopped running. I stopped as well, and stared at the pained expression on his face. He looked down at his chest, and I followed his gaze. I gasped as I watched a red stain gradually expand on his chest.

Jim looked up at me again before his eyes slipped shut and he started to fall backwards into a hole that hadn't been there before.

I started to reach for him, but someone grabbed me around the waist and held me back.

"Jim!" I cried desperately as I watched him fall into an endless black abyss.

I futilely reached for him, but the person holding me back pulled me closer to them. I stared down the black hole and the small dot that was Jim continuing to fall. Tears were silently pouring down my face.

The person holding me grabbed my chin in their hand and forced me to look up into their eyes.

My eyes widened when I met his. I would know those cold, calculating eyes anywhere.

It was Alex.

He smiled at me evilly while I stood there, frozen from shock.

"You are mine," he whispered harshly.

I finally found my voice to scream.

I bolt upright in bed, screaming bloody murder. Tears were already pouring down my face. I looked around trying to figure out where I was. I quickly realized I was in my bed at the BenBow Inn.

I pulled my knees up and buried my face in them, crying hysterically.

I heard footsteps running towards my room and looked up at my open door. Jim appeared in the doorway, wearing only a pair of long pajama pants. He looked frightened, and was looking around the room for any signs of danger.

"What happened?" he asked, his face showing concern.

I dropped my head back into my knees and continued to sob. I heard him move towards me, and felt his weight as he sat on the bed next to me. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. I brought my head out of my knees and rested it against his warm bare chest. I took a shaky breath as I tried unsuccessfully to stop my flow of tears.

"It's okay. It was only a nightmare. It wasn't real," he whispered.

I didn't respond. I didn't trust my voice enough to speak without shaking.

Jim rubbed his hand up and down my upper arm, trying to sooth me. I looked at the spot on his chest where he had been shot in my dream. I tentatively brought my hand up and stroked it, making sure there was no scar.

Jim adjusted his position so that he could lean against the backboard of my bed. I adjusted my position as well so that I could lie comfortably against his chest. I was still sobbing silently, and I tried my hardest not to close my eyes, afraid of the images I would see if I fell asleep again. But the comfort and warmth of Jim's body next to mine relaxed me, and I eventually drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, Jim was no longer beside me. Light was slipping around the curtains of my window. I got out of bed and silently crept down the stairs. As I approached the kitchen, I heard Jim talking to Mrs. Hawkins. I stopped outside the door to listen to what they were saying.

"I've never heard her scream like that before. I felt like all the blood had drained from my body," Jim said.

"It must have been a pretty horrible nightmare," Mrs. Hawkins replied.

"Yeah. I don't know what to do anymore. She's having more and more of them all the time. And they seem to be getting worse," Jim said.

"You seem to be handling it well. Comforting her is the right thing to do," Sarah replied.

"I know. I just wish I could make them go away all together," Jim stated.

"Ralphie! Good morning!" B.E.N. hollered.

I yelped in surprise. B.E.N. had shouted right next to me. Jim and Mrs. Hawkins both turned towards the door as B.E.N. strode in, with me following behind, a little embarrassed.

"Good morning Raphaelle," Sarah said, setting down a plate of scrambled eggs and toast at my place at the table.

"Good morning," I replied, sitting down and taking a bite of my eggs.

"So, are you two excited for your friends to be coming over?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. I can't wait for the party," I replied.

Jim and I had just graduated from the Interstellar Academy a week ago. After four years of training, Jim was now qualified to be a captain of his own ship. I had graduated with the rank of first mate. We were throwing a small party and had invited our friends Gabriel, Angela, Adelaide, Iris, Jennifer, Nerita, and Austin. Even though Angela, Iris and Adelaide hadn't graduated yet, they were still celebrating with us. They were coming over that afternoon.

"Just make sure you guys don't trash the Inn," Mrs. Hawkins said.

"Don't worry mom, we won't," Jim replied.

After finishing my breakfast, I went upstairs to get dressed. I put on a simple blue dress and fastened my locket around my neck.

Jim and I prepared the Inn for the party and waited for our friends to arrive.

When the doorbell rang that afternoon, signaling their arrival, Jim and I opened the door, and the fun began.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Here is the first chapter of my fourth and final Treasure Planet story! **

**It has started out with a bang! I am sure you are all curious to see what will happen. **

**I can't take all the credit for** **this chapter. I was given a suggestion a while ago. The credit for the dream that Raphaelle had goes to grapejuice101. I promised I would give them credit, and I did. Don't worry, I have morals. **

**On a totally unrelated note, in English class we have to make a sure 5 to 10 minute movie about the theme of a book we have read in class. I can't wait to start filming! I'm gonna be the star. If it's really good, I might even post it on Youtube. If/When I do, I'll give you all a link. But it will definetly be a while, since the project isn't due until May. **

**Check out deviant art for the book project and check out some of the great drawings done by other people in my favorites. Link to my deviantart is on my profile page. **

**Leave a review! You guys rock! **


	2. Chapter 2

Forever and Always

Chapter 2

The party was a lot of fun. We had lots of snacks and Mrs. Hawkins baked us all a cake. We all told stories of our past's to each other, some funny, some serious. It was the best party ever.

Well after midnight, everyone was ready to fall asleep. Jim and I had set up one of the rooms upstairs so that we could all sleep together. Everyone had their own sleeping bag and we had laid them all down in a big circle. Everyone was getting situated and comfortable. Though we had planned on going to sleep right away, we all continued to talk for at least another hour.

However, everyone eventually fell asleep. Everyone, except for me.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. I turned over on my stomach and looked at everyone around me. They were all sleeping soundly. My eyes wandered over to Angela and Gabriel. They were sleeping in separate bags, but they had moved close to each other and were only a few inches apart. Gabriel's arm was casually draped over Angela's waist.

I looked over at Jim, but his back was turned to me. I sighed and got out of my sleeping bag. I moved over to the window. I opened it up and sat on the ledge, staring at the stars and enjoying the cool breeze pushing my hair back.

I didn't hear Jim get up until he was standing right behind me. He touched my shoulder, and I turned my head to look at him.

He had a sad and concerned look on his face.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked me.

I sighed before answering.

"I just…can't," I replied.

"It's the nightmares, isn't it?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip, nodding my head.

"Come on," he said, taking my hand. "I'm gonna help you with that."

"How?" I asked.

"Just trust me," he said.

I climbed down from the window and let him lead me over to his sleeping bag. It was quite large, and would easily fit us both. He lay down in it and pulled me down with him. After pulling the blanket over us, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Jim, I don't see how this-" I started.

"Shh," he hushed me. "Just relax. You're safe in my arms."

He pressed his forehead against mine, and we stared into each other's eyes. I studied every detail of those startlingly blue eyes, trying to ingrain their image in my brain.

"Okay, I'll try," I whispered.

Jim smiled and closed his eyes. I kept my eyes open a little longer, studying his smiling face. Then I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of security I had knowing Jim was beside me. And I eventually fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning and found Jim gazing at me lovingly, a content smile on his face. I found myself smiling back.

"No nightmares?" he asked.

"No nightmares," I answered.

I looked around and noticed that all the other sleeping bags were empty.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"They're all downstairs eating breakfast," he answered.

Jim and I got up and headed downstairs.

When we walked into the kitchen, everyone turned to look at us. Gabriel was the first to speak up.

"Sleep well?" he asked, his smirk and tone of voice implying that something had happened, when nothing really had.

"Yeah. We did. How about you? Did you and Angela sleep well?" I asked, using the same tone of voice he had just used.

"Very well, thanks for asking," he replied, though his smile was one of amusement.

Angela was blushing slightly, and I gave her a teasing smile.

"So what's our plan for tonight?" Nerita asked.

"Well, I thought we would go have dinner in town at a nice restaurant," I said.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Hawkins said.

"What's wrong?" Jim asked.

"I completely forgot about your plans for tonight and I promised Delbert and Amelia that you would babysit their kids," Sarah answered.

"Oh. Do you guys mind if we babysit tonight instead? We can go out tomorrow night instead," I offered.

"It's fine. It might be fun. How old are the kids?" Adelaide asked.

"They're almost 5 years old," I answered. "And you're sure you don't mind?"

"It's fine. These things happen all the time," Jennifer replied.

"Alright. Then I guess we're all babysitting tonight," Jim said.

Later that night, Delbert and Amelia dropped off their four children, thanking us all for sacrificing our evening to help with the kids.

The children were fairly easy to take care of. They were easy to entertain and they listened to people's instructions well, obeying all the rules we set.

The Doppler's children consisted of three almost identical little girls who were cat-creatures like Amelia, and their brother who was a dog-creature like Delbert. The little red-head girl was Rachel, the brunette was Jessie, and the blonde was Brittany. The little boy was named Daniel, but everyone called him Danny for short.

For most of the evening, they played with Morph, chasing him around and getting him to change into different forms.

At 8:30, I decided it was time for them to get to bed.

"Alright kidos, time for bed," I said.

"Aww," they whined simultaneously, though they got up and started walking towards the stairs.

"Ralphie, will you carry us?" Danny asked.

They had always called me Ralphie, since Raphaelle had been hard to pronounce when they were younger.

"I can't carry all of you," I said.

"Carry us!" Rachel said.

"Angela, can you help me carry them up?" I asked.

"Sure thing," she said, picking up Rachel and Jessie.

Brittany had already walked up the stairs, and was waiting for her sisters to be carried up the stairs.

"Why is your arm shiny?" Jessie asked Angela.

"Because I had an accident," she replied.

"Does it hurt?" Rachel asked.

"Not anymore," she replied.

"Do magnets stick to your arm?" I heard one of them ask as they headed up the stairs.

I chuckled and started up the stairs with Danny in my arms.

"Wait! I forgot something," Danny said. I put him down and he ran back over to the living room couch, where he grabbed what resembled a stuffed dog toy and ran back over to me.

"Are you ready?" I asked sweetly.

"Yep," he said, stretching his arms out towards me.

Just then, the lights went out.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**All right. Here is the next chapter.**

**So yeah, looks like Jim may have discovered a way to keep Raphaelle from having nightmares. Cute right. **

**And we have introduced Delbert and Amelia's children. I always thought the little boy looked like a Danny or Daniel. Does anyone else think that? **

**Why did the lights go out? What's gonna happen? **

**Looks like you'll have to wait and see. **

**Check out deviantart for the book project and look in my favorites for some of the finished drawings. **

**You guys rock! **

**Leave a review! **


	3. Chapter 3

Forever and Always

Chapter 3

There was little light to see by, only the moonlight coming in through the windows.

"What just happened?" Austin asked.

"Must be a power outage," Jim answered.

I looked out the window towards the town and could see the bright lights of the shops and restaurants.

"Wouldn't the lights in town be out too?" I asked.

"They should be," Jim replied, looking out the window.

While looking out the window at the bright lights of the town far below, I saw something move in my peripheral vision. I turned to look at it, but found nothing.

That's when we heard something on the roof.

"What's going on?" Angela asked, carefully coming down the stairs after putting Brittany, Rachel, and Jessie to bed.

"I don't know," Gabriel answered, moving over towards her.

"Shh," Jim said.

We all stopped talking and listened carefully for any noise. The silence rang through my ears louder than any noise could.

Just as I was about to speak up, proclaiming that we were all being paranoid, the front door flew open and the window shattered as someone came flying through it.

I immediately flew into action, scooping Daniel up in my arms and running up the stairs. I ran into the bedroom where the girls were and shut the door.

"What's going on? Why is it so dark?" Brittany asked.

"No time to explain. Everyone get into the closet and keep quiet," I said.

The three girls ran into the closet, and I deposited Danny with them.

"Ralphie, I'm scared," he said, clutching his stuffed dog.

"Everything will be fine. Just don't make a sound," I said, giving him what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

I closed the door, and not a moment too soon, as someone came barreling into the room a moment later.

I got into a fighting stance, ready to face my opponent. They were covered from head to toe in black, and something that resembled a ski mask covered their face. I couldn't make out any features, except that the person was much bigger than I was.

They started towards me, but I dodged them and brought my foot up to kick their face. It wasn't a very good hit, since I was wearing a dress and found it difficult to move properly. Luckily I had taken many fighting classes at the Academy, and was able to adapt to most situations very quickly. I countered with a swift kick to the person's back, knocking them to the ground.

I smiled triumphantly to myself as the person got up and turned around to face me. But instead of coming for me again, they started backing up, towards the closet door.

"Oh no you don't," I said, moving with lightning speed and blocking the door. I made sure to leave a few feet of space between me and the door so I wouldn't get cornered against it.

I got into a fighting stance and waited for him to move first. But he never did. Something from behind me grabbed me. I looked around, trying to find whoever had a hold of me, but I couldn't see anything.

My arms were pinned to my side, so I couldn't do anything to remove whatever it was that had a hold of me. Then, it started to squeeze me. I struggled and squirmed, but it just squeezed me harder. I found it getting harder to breath. Every time I tried to get more air, I was just squeezed harder. I tried to scream to alert someone to my predicament, but just a little squeak came out. My vision started to get cloudy, and black spots were dancing behind my eyelids. Just as everything was about to go completely dark, I was released. I fell to the ground, trying to inhale as much air as possible, but this hurt my chest too much, so I started coughing uncontrollably.

Once my coughing fit calmed down a bit, I was able to hear some voices.

"You weren't supposed to touch her!" a female voice said. It sounded familiar, but my mind was too foggy to figure out who it was.

"Whatever. We got what we came for. Let's get out of here," a male voice responded.

I heard the people leave the room. I stayed laying on the floor, thrown into another coughing fit.

About a minute later, Jim and everyone else ran into the room. He got down on the ground next to me and tried to help me up. But my chest hurt so much that any movement, including inhaling the smallest of breaths, felt like I was being stabbed.

"Raphaelle, what happened?" Jim asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but fell into another spasm of coughing.

"She can't breathe!" Iris said.

"What do we do?" Austin asked.

"Make her sit up," Gabriel said.

Jim helped me to sit up. As soon as I did, my chest hurt even more and I gasped as more daggers were shot into my chest. But gasping, of course, made it worse.

I tried to lie back down, but Jim stopped me from doing so. I brought my hand up to my chest to communicate that I was hurting even more.

"Someone go get her some water," Gabriel said.

Adelaide ran down the stairs to get some water.

"Hurts…so much…can't…breathe," I gasped.

"Just take even breaths and try to calm down," Gabriel said, kneeling down beside me.

I did as he said, and slowly I was able to breathe in just a little bit without my chest hurting too much.

Adelaide came back up the stairs with a glass of water. I slowly and carefully drank it. As soon as I did, my chest felt much better.

"So what happened?" I asked when I found enough breathe to speak.

"I'm not really sure. We started to fight some guys all clad in black, but they ran out almost as soon as they had come in," Angela explained.

"Who were they? Were they robbers?" Iris asked.

"Maybe. I guess they found whatever they had been looking for and left," Jennifer said.

My eyes widened and I started scrambling to get to my feet. Jim tried to stop me.

"Raphaelle, you need to take it easy," he said, trying to get me to sit back down.

"Just help me up," I said, giving him a look that said he was either with or against me.

Jim pulled me to my feet and I slowly made my way towards the closet door.

I prayed and hoped that they would still be in there, keeping absolutely silent like I had told them to. I wished with all my might that when I opened that door, Daniel would be sitting on the ground, clutching his little stuffed dog as tightly as he could.

I tentatively reached for the doorknob. I held it for a moment, too afraid to actually find out what was on the other side.

But I took a deep breath, turned the knob, and threw the door open.

No one was inside.

On the ground was Daniel's little stuffed dog. I slowly bent down and picked it up. I just stared at it. It seemed so much bigger in his small arms.

I turned it over and found there was a note attached to its back.

All the blood drained from my face as I read the words inscribed upon the page.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So he's the next chapter. Sorry it took a little longer to get up. I've been busy with school stuff. **

**Don't really know what to say here. **

**Actually yes, I do. **

**Once again, I must thank grapejuice101 for giving me the idea about Delbert and Amelia's children being kidnapped. Thanks for the great idea! **

**Check out my deviantart favorites for some completed drawings done for my stories. I could still use a few more artists, so you can either contact me on deviantart or here. My username is MermaidGirlForever. **

**Until next time. You guys rock!**

**Please leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Forever and Always

Chapter 4

Both the stuffed dog and the note fluttered out of my hand as the weight of what had just happened set in. I stared straight ahead of me at nothing in particular.

Jim's muffled voice reached my ears. I looked at him. His lips were moving, and sound was coming out, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I brought one hand up to my head as the room started to spin, and stuck my other arm out towards the wall as I felt my legs get shaky. But my knees still buckled and I started to fall to the ground. Luckily, Jim had realized what was going on and caught me before I fell.

I gradually regained my composure, and was able to see and hear things clearly. I stood up, but Jim stood close by my side in case I got dizzy again.

"Okay, so why did you faint?" Nerita asked.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at the ground. My gaze shifted over to the discarded doll on the floor and the upside down note beside him.

I looked into Jim's eyes when I answered the question.

"He's back," I said.

Jim's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Who?" Jennifer asked.

Jim picked the note up off the ground and read the note. His eyes widened as he finished it.

"Alex," he whispered.

I nodded.

"Wait? That guy who kidnapped you that summer after our first year at the Academy?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah," Jim answered.

"I thought you guys sent him to another dimension?" Nerita asked.

"That's what I thought too," I said.

"So what has he got to do with this?" Iris asked.

"He took them. He took the kids, and he won't give them back unless…" I trailed off.

"Unless what?" Angela prompted.

"Unless he gets her," Jim finished. "Which is not going to happen."

"We have to do something!" I exclaimed.

"But we are not going to just give you to him," Jim said, an angry look on his face.

"Well of course not, but we still have to get the kids," I refuted.

Jim and I stared at each other angrily, neither one of us wanting to give in.

"Okay," Gabriel interrupted. "First things first, we need to tell the Doppler's."

"He's right," I said, breaking my glaring contest with Jim.

"I'll run into town and tell them," Adelaide said.

She transformed into a wolf-like creature and ran out of the room.

I wrapped my arms around myself again and leaned against the wall.

When Delbert and Amelia got home, we explained everything that happened. Jim handed the note to Amelia and she read it over, her brows furrowed in concentration. It was evident that Delbert was quite worried, though I wasn't able to tell what Amelia was feeling.

We spoke with the adults for a couple hours, but then they made us go up to bed while they continued to discuss what their plan of action would be.

Mrs. Hawkins showed all our friends to some of the guest rooms so they could sleep comfortably.

Before I went to bed, I picked up Daniel's little dog and placed it on the nightstand next to my bed. I stared at it until I fell asleep.

I was plagued with nightmares of Alex and the kids. They were crying out my name, but whenever I thought I had reached them, they disappeared and screamed my name from a different direction. All the while Alex's evil laugh filled every inch of space and invaded my mind until I was sure I would go insane. Just as I was starting to break down in my dream, I was shaken awake.

I freaked out a bit, looking around frantically. I realized Jim was in front of me, and he was holding my shoulders. He looked frightened.

"Wha-" I asked, still a little confused.

"You were screaming in your sleep," Jim said, a sad look on his face.

"Oh," I whispered. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Are you alright?" he asked.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked.

"Yes please," I said, giving him a small smile, which he returned.

I scooted over so that he could climb under the covers with me. He pulled me close just like he always did. I realized he was wearing a shirt, and felt a little annoyed by it. I wanted to feel the warmth of his bare chest, but I decided not to say anything. I felt asleep to the soothing sound of his even breathing.

I slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Next chapter!**

**Oh no! Alex is back! But how, you ask? You will have to wait to find out. **

**Again, Raphaelle has nightmares, but only Jim can keep her from having them. Good thing their dating right.**

**Check out deviantart for art some people have drawn for the stories so far. They are in my favorites. **

**You guys make this all worthwhile, so leave a review! **


	5. Chapter 5

Forever and Always

Chapter 5

I woke up the next morning and Jim wasn't there. I slowly sat up and looked around my room. My eyes fell on Daniel's little stuffed dog, and I instantly felt depressed. I took a deep breath, then looked towards my open door with determination.

I got out of bed, hastily pulled on a green dress, brushed my hair and teeth, and walked downstairs, Danny's little doll dangling from my hand.

As I approached the kitchen, I heard voices. I heard my name and slowed down and quietly snuck towards the door.

From the voices, I could tell that everyone was in the room, and they were discussing what they were going to do.

"We can't just go barreling in there like a horde of daft buffoons and expect to be able to get ourselves and the children out safely," Amelia said.

"Your right, we need a plan," Gabriel said.

"We? You children are not going," Delbert said.

"Why not? We're graduates from the Interstellar Academy," Nerita pointed out.

"That may be, but you don't have enough experience to go on a mission as dangerous as this," Amelia refuted.

"So let us gain the experience," Jennifer said.

"It would be irresponsible for me to allow you to come along. The answer is no," Amelia said.

"Fine, but how are we gonna convince Raphaelle not to go?" Jim asked

"Well, the same way we just did with you. We'll explain to her how dangerous it is and tell her it's preposterous for her to walk into this trap," Delbert said.

"But she won't listen. She thinks this is all her fault. She'll find a way to go," Jim replied.

"Then we'll just have to keep a close eye on her," Mrs. Hawkins said.

"Jim. Do you think you can keep her busy for a few days," Delbert asked.

"Sure. When are you guys leaving?" Jim asked.

"In three days, after midnight," Amelia answered.

"Alright. Now not another word about this subject," Mrs. Hawkins said.

I heard her putting down some plates on the table.

I quietly walked back up the stairs a few steps, then came back down, making sure to make a little noise.

I walked slowly into the kitchen, looking at the floor. I tried to make it look like I was still sad and depressed by the kidnapping, but really, I was furious. I was angry because my own friends were going to lie to me in order to keep me from fixing the problem I had created. But I wasn't going to let them know I had heard everything. If they knew, I would never be able to get to the kids.

"Hey. Good morning," Iris said, throwing me a sympathetic look. I gave her what I hoped was a convincing looking sad smile.

"Good morning," I sighed.

"Are you doing okay?" Angela asked.

"I don't know," I said.

I walked over to Amelia and handed her the doll.

"I thought you might want this," I said.

She gingerly took it, staring at it with longing in her eyes. For a moment, I thought she might cry. But she composed herself and looked at me with compassion in her eyes.

"Thank you, dear," she said.

I smiled at her.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault," I said sincerely, my face falling.

"Don't be ridiculous. You did everything you could," Delbert said, resting his hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me.

I smiled at him, but it was a strained smile, and Delbert could tell, since his own smile disappeared.

I sat down and ate my breakfast, not looking at anyone, but I could feel everyone's concerned eyes on me.

After I finished eating, I got up from the table and started leaving the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Jim asked.

"Upstairs," I said.

I went upstairs and grabbed my sketchbook, which had very few sketches in it, and started heading outside. Jim saw me heading out and quickly intercepted me.

"Where are you going?" he asked again.

"Just out," I replied.

"Can I come with?" he asked, sounding casual.

"I'd rather be alone, if that's alright with you," I replied.

"Are you sure?" he asked, appearing concerned.

"Yeah. I need some to be by myself and think about some stuff," I explained.

"Alright. Don't stay out too long," he said, a mixture of sadness and concern on his face.

I gave him a reassuring smile and left to go sit out in a meadow that was a short walk from the Inn.

I sat down in the soft grass and opened my sketchbook to a blank page. I started sketching Rachel, Jessie, Brittany, and Daniel. I sketched them as little babies, like they had been the night the BenBow Inn reopened. Then on a separate page I sketched them as they were now. Even though they were almost five years old, they were still quite small, but that was normal for their species. As infants, the three girls had been almost identical, but as they had grown, they had grown to look different. The most prominent difference between the three was their hair.

Rachel had medium length hair, and it was red like her mother's. It was perfectly straight and she kept it loose. Jessie had dark brown hair, and she liked to keep it very short, just like her mother. Brittany had long blonde curly hair that she refused to let anyone cut it, but she loved to have it pinned back out of her face. Daniel was the only one who hadn't changed, and I loved him all the more for that.

After finished my sketches, I lay down in the grass and stared up at the sky. I saw some movement in the corner of my vision. I turned my eyes that way and made out a figure hiding behind some trees at the edge of the forest. I casually turned my head slightly to that side so I could see who it was. The person darted back behind the tree, but I was able to catch a glimpse of them. It was Jim.

I sighed and turned my head back towards the sky. I watched the clouds pass by for a while, then I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I could feel Jim watching me. I faintly heard him sit down in the grass beside me. I continued to pretend to be asleep.

After about 20 minutes, I really did fall asleep. Next thing I knew, I was waking up and the sun was starting to set. I looked beside me and sure enough Jim was still there. He was playing with some strands of grass. I took a deep breath and sat up. Jim looked over at me and stared at me curiously. I wasn't sure how to look, since I was still angry at him, but I kept my face blank.

"Hey. Have a nice nap?" he said teasingly, giving me a smile.

"Yeah. How long was I asleep?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"I don't know. I came looking for you this afternoon. I've only been sitting here for maybe an hour," he said.

_Liar, _I thought.

"Guess I won't be able to sleep tonight," I said.

"Let's go back to the Inn. Everyone's wondering where you are, and it's almost time for dinner," he said, standing up and offering me his hand to pull me up.

I ignored his hand and got to my feet myself.

I started walking back towards the Inn. Jim had to walk fast to keep up with me.

"Hey, slow down. What's your rush?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said, slowing down a bit. "I just…I don't know."

"It's alright," he said, taking his hand in mine.

I really didn't want to hold his hand at the moment, since I was still upset that he would lie to me, twice. But I didn't pull away, for fear of raising suspicion.

That night, I couldn't sleep, since I had slept for most of the day. So instead, I started formulating a plan. I got up and quietly started packing some things that I might need.

I was gonna sneak onto that ship, and no one was going to stop me. I was going to fix the problem I had caused, even if it meant putting my life in danger. But I would trade my freedom for the children's in a heartbeat.

The only thing I would truly miss was Jim. But it had to be done.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Next chapter is up! Sorry it took so long! School is starting to get really busy. **

**So yeah, Raphaelle's freinds are lying to her in order to protect her, but they won't be able to stop her. **

**Don't have much to say. **

**Leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Forever and Always

Chapter 6

For the next few days, I continued my charade that I was sad and depressed. I spent my nights preparing for my journey. During the day I went out to the same meadow and took naps. Jim followed me every time, but I didn't let him know I knew. Even though I was still angry with him, I knew these would be the times he would ever see me, so I let him have these last moments.

On the third night, I waited until it was almost midnight to put my plan into action. I quietly changed into a tight black shirt, black pants, and my favorite black boots. I pulled my hair back into a braid so that it wouldn't get in my way. I grabbed my small duffle bag filled with an extra pair of clothes and some food. Then I waited.

A boat docked at the pier, and I saw Delbert and Amelia walk out of the Inn and towards the boat. I knew I had to move quickly. I opened my window and carefully climbed down the side of the wall. I landed quietly on the ground and started for the boat. I made sure to hide behind every tree and rock so that nobody would see me. Delbert and Amelia boarded the ship, but I knew that it wouldn't take off yet. They had said after midnight, so there was still half an hour left.

I waited for the perfect opportunity to dart onto the boat. I saw my window, and prepared to dart out, when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Going somewhere," it said.

I spun around and came face to face with Jim. He looked more disappointed than angry, but I could distinctly see both emotions on his face.

My mouth was open, but I didn't know what to say. Jim and I stared at each other for a long time before one of us spoke.

"I can't believe you," Jim said.

"Jim, I-" I started.

"Save it. Just get back inside," Jim said, reaching for my arm.

"No," I said, moving out of his range.

"This isn't up for discussion," he said.

"Good. Then we have an understanding. I'm going, and there is nothing you can do to stop me," I exclaimed.

"Raphaelle, get back inside that house right now or I will make you," he threatened, anger seething out of his voice.

"No," I said, putting my hands on my hips defiantly.

What happened next was unexpected. I know Jim had threatened me, but I hadn't actually expected him to get physical with me. But the next thing I knew, I had been picked up and was being held upside down. My arms were pinned to my sides, so I couldn't do anything. I tried kicking him with my feet, but he kept dodging them.

"Jim! Let me go!" I yelled.

"Yeah. That's gonna happen," he said sarcastically, walking back towards the Inn.

"Jim stop! I have to fix this!" I pleaded.

"I'm not letting you put yourself in danger," he replied.

"Jim I-" I started.

"Jim. Put her down," a voice said.

I looked over and saw Gabriel, upside down, leaning next to a tree.

"Gabriel, stay out of this," Jim said.

"I can't. She's right," he replied.

"Whatever," Jim said.

"Jim, put her down," a voice said from the side. I turned my head and saw Nerita and Jennifer walk from behind a tree.

I looked around and saw everyone was there.

"You guys, this is ridiculous. I'm not letting her go, and that's final," he said.

"Jim, she needs to go, and as her friends, we need to support her," Iris said.

"But this is-" Jim started.

"Jim. You're either going to let her go willingly, or we're going to make you let her go," Gabriel said.

Jim looked around at everyone and realized he was beat. He sighed and put me down.

"Thanks for your help guys," I said, starting back towards the ship.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jennifer said.

"To the ship," I said.

"Not without us," Nerita said, smiling at me.

"What? You guys can't come," I said.

"Too bad. The only way you're going is if we come along," Adelaide said.

"Someone's gotta make sure you stay out of trouble," Angela added.

I thought about it for a moment, then smiled.

"Alright, you can come. I could use the help," I said.

We all started for the ship. Luckily, everyone was dressed and had a small bag with them as well.

"Did you guys plan this?" I asked.

"Yeah. We knew you would try something, and we weren't going to let you have all the fun," Nerita answered.

We all climbed through an open porthole and into the cargo hold of the ship. Jim was still standing at the end of the pier, and he looked up at me, a blank expression on his face. For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to come along, but he climbed through the window and into the room.

We hid behind a bunch of crates until the ship launched. Once we had been flying for an hour, we relaxed, but our relief was short-lived.

One of the crew members found us, and took us to Captain Amelia.

We all stood in her office as she and Delbert stared at us coldly.

"I thought we said you were not to come along," Delbert said.

"I had to. I have to fix this," I said.

"I understand that you feel the need to take care of this, but you're putting yourself in danger," Amelia said.

"You won't be able to get the kids back without me. Alex won't negotiate unless he can have me," I argued.

"I will not bargain with your life, even for the lives of my own children. It would be wrong to give you over to that pirate. No doubt your life would be in grave danger should he get his hands on you," Amelia said.

"Who said I was actually going to let him have me," I exclaimed.

Everyone in the room stared at me, confused.

"What do you mean?" Delbert asked.

"I have a plan," I said, smiling mischievously.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Next chapter! Yay! **

**So, Jim will literally do ANYTHING to keep Raphaelle safe. Not exactly the best way to deal with the situation, but hey, what can you do. Sometimes guys don't know the best way to do things. **

**So what is Raphaelle's brilliant plan? Guess you'll have to wait to find out. **

**Check out deviantart for some of the art already done by some awesome artists. They are in my favorites. Link to my page is on my profile page. **

**Leave a review! You guys rock! **


	7. Chapter 7

Forever and Always

Chapter 7

"That plan…is actually quite brilliant," Delbert admitted.

I smiled at the compliment.

"Yes. It is quite a clever idea. But it's quite risky. Are you sure you all want to do this?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, we are," Jennifer answered for everyone.

"Alright then. We shall allow you to come along. But, we are going to go back to Montressor so that you can bring more than the meager supplies you are currently sporting," Amelia responded.

So we headed back to Montressor so that we could bring more supplies. I was fine with that, but I had a feeling we would get scolded by Mrs. Hawkins.

I was pleasantly surprised when she didn't scold us. We were practically adults, she had said, and we needed to make our own decisions.

I went upstairs to my room to pack up some more stuff. I packed a few extra pairs of clothes and headed back down the stairs. I walked into the kitchen and found Jim and his mom talking. She had a huge smile on her face, and Jim had a smaller content smile, but I could tell from the way he was smiling that he was holding back.

Mrs. Hawkins turned her head when I walked in the room, and Jim turned around in to look at me, since his back had been facing the door. They both stared at me intently, their emotions impossible to decipher.

"What?" I said, getting uncomfortable by their stares.

"Nothing," Sarah said, getting up from her seat. "I'll be right back with that for you Jim."

She left the room and started up the stairs.

"What's she getting for you?" I asked.

"Oh, just some stuff that could help us on the trip," he answered quickly.

"Like?" I prompted.

"Like…a telescope and a compass," he said.

"Why would she have those?" I asked.

"They were…my father's," Jim said slowly.

"Oh, I see," I said, dropping the subject.

Jim never talked about his father unless he wanted to. If he wanted to tell me, he would. He didn't say anything, so I let it drop.

I went back to the ship to drop my stuff off.

I came back out to say goodbye to Mrs. Hawkins. I saw B.E.N. and Morph coming onto the boat.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked them.

"The Captain has asked me to help with navigation," B.E.N. said proudly.

"That's great B.E.N.," I said.

Morph flew around the deck of the ship, exploring every nook and cranny. I figured he was just there because he could follow us around.

I saw Jim saying goodbye to his mother down on the pier. They were hugging. I waited until they pulled apart before I came down to say goodbye.

"Be careful sweetheart," she said, giving me a hug.

"I will," I replied.

We separated and Jim and I walked onto the ship.

The ship launch was just as beautiful as always, but there was tension between us. I decided to fix it.

"Jim, I'm sorry," I said, standing next to him at the edge of the ship.

He didn't answer me.

"I had to do this. I needed to make this right. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if anything happened to them," I explained.

Jim sighed.

"I know," he said.

"So…do you forgive me?" I asked carefully.

"Yeah," he said, smiling at me. "I forgive you."

I gave him a quick hug before leaning against the side of the ship to feel the wind on my face.

"Your hair's in a braid," he stated.

"Yeah. I thought I'd try it out," I said.

"It looks good," he said.

"Thanks. And now we match," I said, flicking his little braided ponytail.

He laughed and flicked my braid so that it slapped me in the face, causing me to laugh.

Morph flew up in front of my face and licked me.

"Hey Morph," I said, petting the little gelatinous blob.

He flew around my head a few times before resting on my shoulder.

"That was a great plan you came up with," Jim stated.

"It wasn't that great," I said.

"Yeah it was. I don't know if I would have thought of it," he replied.

"Thanks," I said. "Let's just hope it works."

We were silent for a minute.

"You know what I did before we left?" Jim asked.

"What?" I asked, a little curious.

"I sent a letter to Silver," he answered.

"Without me?" I said a little hurt.

"Well, I had a feeling you wouldn't approve," he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I asked him to help get the kids back," he replied.

"Jim! That's dangerous for him! Amelia won't let him go this time. And who knows what Alex could do to him!" I exclaimed.

"I know. But I thought he could help. Most likely we're gonna run into him before we get there," he said.

"Let's hope," I replied. "If we're there we might be able to stop the Captain from arresting him."

I stared at out the stars in the sky. I glanced over at Jim and found him staring at me lovingly.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he said, still smiling.

"If you weren't my boyfriend that would be really creepy," I said, smiling back at him.

"Then it's a good thing I am," he replied.

He gently tilted my chin up with his hand and kissed me.

"Get a room!" someone shouted.

Jim and I broke apart, and saw Austin and Gabriel standing a little ways off, smirking at us.

"Speak for yourself, Gabriel!" I said. I had caught him and Angela kissing quite a few times in the past.

"Come on," I said, pulling Jim towards the shrouds. "Let's go somewhere more private."

I started climbing the shrouds that led to the crow's nest.

Jim and I spent the rest of the day up there. We kissed for a while, but mostly we just talked. I knew that the mission ahead of us would be stressful and dangerous, and I wanted to enjoy these few moments of peace. And we did.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Yay! Another chapter done! I've been doing nothing all day, so I've had time to write. Yay lazy days!**

**So I've changed Raphaelle's normal hairstyle to a braid. It's only temporary, but I thought I'd try it out for a few chapters. I love it when my hair is in a braid, but my hair is hard to work with, so I don't do it often. **

**So a cute little couple moment with Jim and Raphaelle at the end, just cause I felt like it. **

**And yeah, the plan gets to stay a mystery, at least until its put into action. SUSPENSE! **

**Check out deviantart for some of the art other people have done! Look in my favorites. **

**Please leave a review! They make me write faster! (Not really, but more reviews does give me more motivation to write faster.)**


	8. Chapter 8

Forever and Always

Chapter 8

None of us had to really work on the ship. There was already enough crew members. We mostly just hung around doing nothing.

Luckily our destination wasn't too far away, so we would only be traveling for a few days.

Every day I waited for a small boat to show up, carrying a certain cyborg, but it never did.

We arrived at our destination, a barren planet, a few days later. We kept the ship in the sky and waited for Alex's ship to show up. They appeared an hour after we showed up.

I nervously started braiding and unbraiding my hair. After I finished doing my braid for the fifth time, Jim grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Don't worry, you're plan will work," he reassured me. I smiled up at him, but was still worried.

Captain Amelia and Delbert walked out of the Captain's quarters, Adelaide following suit. Except she didn't look like Adelaide. She looked exactly like me. She had on a white shirt and brown pants and boots, and her hair was strawberry blonde and straight, and she had my face and blue eyes.

"Wow," I said, standing in front of her.

"I know," she said. "We could be twins," she whispered.

We both started laughing.

"How do you get your voice to sound like mine?" I asked.

"It's just part of being Mutator Formarum," Adelaide answered.

"Are we ready to go?" Captain Amelia asked.

"All set," Adelaide answered.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry. It'll be fine," she reassured me.

"Ready to go, Mr. Hawkins?" Captain Amelia asked.

"Ready," he answered.

"Good luck," I said.

Jim smiled and climbed into the longboat. They sailed towards the ground and met with Alex and some other pirates halfway between the two ships.

They stood apart for a while. I figured they were negotiating. They were too far away for me to see their faces, and I had to stay hidden.

I saw Adelaide walk over towards the pirates, and four small figures ran over to Delbert and Amelia and Jim.

The pirates led Adelaide away, and Jim helped get the kids into the longboat. It flew back to the ship, and everyone climbed out.

"It worked perfectly," Jim said, walking over to me.

"That's great. Now we just have to meet her at the rendezvous point in a half hour," I said smiling.

Delbert and Amelia were picking their kids out of the boat. As soon as they saw me, they started running towards me.

I kneeled down towards the ground so that I could hug them at their level. I embraced the four of them as they exclaimed how much they missed me.

"I missed you too. I'm so sorry this happened. Are you guys okay? They didn't do anything to you, did they?" I asked.

"We're okay! That guy was pretty nice to us," Brittany said.

"What guy?" I asked.

"The one with yellow hair," Daniel said.

"Why does he like you so much?" Jessie asked, her green eyes wide and inquisitive.

"What makes you think he likes me?" I asked.

"He said so," Rachel said.

"Oh, well. I don't know. I don't like him," I said.

"Why not?" Brittany asked.

"Because when we were kids he picked on me a lot. And he's still really mean. He kidnapped you after all," I said.

"Oh," they all said. I smiled. Their young minds were too naïve to understand completely.

"Hey Daniel, there's someone who missed you," I said.

"Who?" he asked, his brown eyes curious.

"Wait here," I said.

I ran into Captain Amelia's office, where I knew his little stuffed dog would be. I brought it back out to him.

His face lit up when he saw it.

I gave it to him and he hugged it fiercely.

"Why don't you children go with your mother to her room and get comfortable. I'm sure you're all tired," Delbert said.

"No we're not," Rachel said.

"Come along children. Let's get you cleaned up," Amelia said.

They all followed her towards her quarters.

"So now we wait," Jim said.

"Yep. Let's just hope she finds a chance to escape soon," I replied.

A half hour later, me, Jim, and everyone else were waiting behind a large cluster of rocks for Adelaide to show up. The ship wasn't too far, but it was out of sight of the pirate ship. Once she showed up, we would get in the longboat and get out of there as soon as possible. Adelaide had been carrying a paralyzing gas that would keep the crew where they were until the reinforcements we were gonna call once Adelaide got back arrived.

We saw Adelaide slowly walking towards us. She no longer looked like me. As she walked into the cluster of rocks we were hiding behind, I noticed that her face looked pained.

"Adelaide, what's wrong?" I asked her.

She bit her lip before answering me.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**yay! another chapter done!**

**SUSPENSE! What's gonna happen! **

**Its a somewhat short chapter, I just realized. But its a transition chapter. **

**Check out my deviantart favorites for art done by other people for my stories! They are really great! **

**Please leave a review! **


	9. Chapter 9

Forever and Always

Chapter 9

Before any of us could even take in what Adelaide had said, dozens of figures clad in all black materialized out of thin air. They disarmed us in moments.

I looked over at Adelaide, and saw she was being held just like us, so I knew she wasn't on their side.

The pirates held our arms behind our backs and started leading us towards their ship. There was no use struggling, so I just let them lead me.

When we got to the ship, the pirates locked us each into separate cells. To my dismay, I saw that the pirates had gone back to our own ship and captured all the crew members. They placed the majority of the crew into a large single cell. Captain Amelia, Delbert, and their kids were all placed into a separate cell.

I waited until the pirates had left before I spoke.

"Adelaide, what happened?" I asked.

She was standing in the middle of her cell, arms wrapped around herself and looking at the ground.

"I don't know," she answered. "The moment I got onto the ship, he knew I wasn't you."

"I wonder how he knew?" Iris asked.

"I don't know. It's impossible for people to be able to tell a Mutator Formarum from a real person. Unless there was another Mutator on the ship, he shouldn't have been able to tell," Adelaide replied.

"Why didn't you run?" Austin asked.

"As soon as I stood in front of him, the pirates grabbed me. He forced me to go back to the rendezvous point. The pirates were holding me. They have some sort of cloaking device that makes them invisible. That's how they appeared out of thin air. There were two holding onto me when I came to meet you guys," she explained.

"I'm sorry," Adelaide continued.

"Don't be. There was no way we could have known that Alex would figure out our plan. If anything, this is my fault. I'm the one who thought of the plan. I should have known Alex wouldn't be fooled," I said.

"Raphaelle, don't be ridiculous. You're plan was brilliant," Jim said, moving towards the edge of his cell, which was right next to mine.

"But Alex was smarter," I said, looking at the ground.

Jim reached through the bars of his cell and grabbed my hand. He gave me a reassuring smile, which I tried to return, but it must have not been convincing, since his face fell.

"So now what happens?" Angela asked.

"Now we wait," Captain Amelia answered from the cell across the hall.

"Wait for what?" Iris asked, her hair appearing to be a dark grey color, though it may have just been the lack of light.

"For Alex," I replied.

"How do you know he'll come down here?" Nerita asked.

"Because I'm down here," I said.

We sat around waiting for a long time. I fiddled with my braid again, making sure it was perfect.

Once I finished my braid, I moved over to the corner of my cell and sat down. Jim moved over to his corner so that he could sit next to me. He held my hand as we waited. I started to doze off.

Then I heard a door open.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Short chapter again. But I think the next chapter is gonna be real long, and full of drama. **

**Don't really know what to put here. Don't have much to say. **

**Oh! Check out my deviantart journal! Prom is coming up soon and I'm trying to decide which dress I'm gonna wear. Hurry up and tell me what you think! Prom is next Saturday!**

**Also check out my favorites for some awesome art people have done for my stories so far! **

**Please leave review! They motivate me to write even more! **


	10. Chapter 10

Forever and Always

Chapter 10

My head was resting against Jim shoulder through the bars. I decided I would keep my eyes shut and pretend to be asleep.

"Raphaelle," Jim whispered.

"Shh," I shushed him.

"Raphaelle," he tried again, shaking my shoulder.

"Shh. Pretend I'm asleep," I whispered.

I heard the footsteps stop in front of my cell. My hand was intertwined with Jim's, and I felt it tense up a bit.

There was silence for a long time. I could feel someone's eyes on me, and I'm sure everyone else's were on whoever was standing on the other side of the bars of my cell.

"I know you're awake," a familiar voice said.

I debated continuing my charade, but decided it would get me nowhere.

I lifted my head off of Jim's shoulder and opened my eyes.

They fell upon Alex.

I knew that it would be him, but I hadn't really believed he was back until he was standing there right in front of me.

Now there was no denying it.

At first I wasn't sure what to do. But when I looked at his cocky smirk, I found something to say.

"How did you get back?" I asked.

"I was wondering if that would be the first thing that crossed your mind. You see, when you got shot, a single drop of blood fell onto one of the stones. It was enough to open the portal, one year later," Alex explained.

"If you've been here for three years, how come you didn't come back until now?" Jim asked.

"I was waiting for the right moment. I needed to rebuild my crew and stock up on weapons and resources," Alex answered, not looking at Jim.

"How did you know it wasn't me when they brought Adelaide to the ship?" I asked.

"I had some spies on your ship. They came back and informed me of the trick," he replied.

"Spies! Who?" Captain Amelia shouted from across the hall.

"Us," a female voice said.

Two figures clad from head to toe in black materialized out of thin air on either side of Alex.

I could tell one was male, and the other was female.

"Happy to see us?" the female said. Her voice sounded very familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint from where.

"Why? Do I know you?" I asked.

The two pulled their ski-like masks off, revealing two people who I had never thought I would see again.

Roxanne and Jaegar.

I stared at them both, my jaw hanging open slightly. They were smirking at me. Jim recovered first.

"How did you two get here?" he asked, his tone angry.

"I was getting new recruits, and found them. They heard about my plans to find you and Jim, and wanted to join me. I figured anyone with a grudge against you two would be the perfect accomplices," Alex explained.

"It was you," I said, looking at Jaegar. "You were squeezing me with your coils that night. I couldn't breathe."

Jaegar just smiled evilly.

"And you," I said, looking at Roxanne. "You scolded him. I recognized your voice, but I couldn't remember from where."

Roxanne just continued smirking.

I didn't know what else to say.

Alex and I had a stare down for a while, then I decided to say something.

"So what happens now?" I asked him.

"Now, you have a choice. You can either choose to stay with me willingly right now, and I'll let your friends go, or I can take you, in which your friends will remain here," Alex said. "I would much rather if you came willingly, but I am not afraid to use force if I must."

"Like I would ever willingly choose to be with you," I snorted.

"I see you need some persuasion," he said.

His tone of voice scared me a little, and I squeezed Jim's hand for reassurance. Alex smirked at me before continuing.

"But it's late. We'll start tomorrow," he said.

He left the room, Roxanne and Jaegar trailing behind him, smirking at us as we left the room.

"This is not good," I said, barely above a whisper.

"Why? What's gonna happen?" Iris asked from a cell a few down from me.

"I don't know. But if I've learned anything from past experiences, it's not going to be pleasant," I answered.

Jim reached his arm through the bars of the cell and stroked my cheek.

"Don't worry. I'll be right here next to you," he said, smiling at me.

I smiled back and rested my arm against his shoulder through the bars.

"What if he does something to us?" Adelaide asked.

"I don't think he will. He knows that you all would tell me not to give in because of you. No, whatever he's going to do, it's going to be done to me," I answered.

"Well, we'd better get a good night's sleep anyway," Gabriel said, lying down on the cold, hard floor.

I laid down too, parallel to the bars so that I could face Jim. I shivered as I lay down on the floor, my thin blue shirt offering little protection.

"Here," Jim said, taking off his jacket and handing it to me through the bars.

"Are you sure? Won't you be cold?" I asked.

"I'll be fine. Just take it," he said.

"Okay," I said.

I took the jacket from his hand and put it on. It was too big for me, but it was warm from Jim's body heat. I lay back down on the floor and stared at Jim on the other side of the bars. He lay down across from me. We gazed at each other for a while. Jim reached his hand through the bars and caressed my cheek in his palm. I smiled at him and closed my eyes. I fell asleep a lot quicker than I thought I would.

Unfortunately, that meant that the morning came just as quickly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Next Chapter is up!**

**Bet you guys weren't expecting Jaegar and Roxanne to return! Well, they did. **

**So, is Raphaelle right? Will Alex only torture her, or will he torture her freinds too? **

**Check out deviantart for some of the awesome art done by other people for my stories! They are in my favorites!**

**Please leave a review! **


	11. Chapter 11

Forever and Always

Chapter 11

I woke up to the feeling of someone stroking my hand. I opened my eyes and saw Jim's thumb gently stroking my hand. Our eyes met and he smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Good morning," I whispered.

"Good morning," he whispered back.

I looked around and remembered where I was. My smile disappeared and was replaced with a fearful expression. Jim noticed, because he grasped my hand trying to catch my attention.

"Raphaelle," he began. "There's something I need to ask you."

"Okay," I replied.

"I-" he started.

But he was interrupted by a banging noise on the bars of our cells.

"Wake up lovebirds!" a voice shouted.

Roxanne appeared out of thin air right outside our cells. Two pirates walked past her. They were holding onto someone. When they stopped in front of the cell with Delbert and Amelia and the kids, I was able to see who it was.

"B.E.N.!" I called.

"Hi guys. Uh, how you doing?" he said nervously.

"What happened?" Austin asked.

"We found him snooping around the ship. He must have been hiding when we searched the ship for crew members," Jaegar replied.

"B.E.N., where's Morph?" I asked.

"Who's Morph?" Alex asked, walking in.

"Nobody," I answered quickly.

He glared at me and I tried my hardest to appear unafraid.

He looked away to watch B.E.N. get pushed into his cell. I took off Jim's jacket and gave it back to him. He tried to get me to keep it, but I told him with my eyes that I didn't need it anymore.

"Now, I'm going to give you one more chance. Choose to come with me willingly, and I will let all of your friends go," Alex said.

I looked over at my friends and Jim. They all shook their heads.

"No," I told Alex.

"Very well," he sighed.

He nodded at Jaegar and Roxanne, and they, along with some of the other crew members, moved towards everyone's cells.

They opened the doors and started shackling everyone to the walls with chains. They still had room to move around, but they couldn't reach the doors of their cells.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously.

"Making sure that nobody tries anything," Alex replied.

To my horror, the crew members even chained each of children to the wall by one of their legs.

"What are you doing?" Angela asked as Roxanne came up to her with a strange looking bracelet attached to a chain.

"This is to keep you from using that mechanical arm of yours to break out," Roxanne replied.

"I can't use it to do anything. It doesn't have any special features or settings," Angela said.

"That may be, but you can still use it to break the bars. But this will keep you from doing so," Roxanne answered.

She quickly strapped the bracelet around Angela's wrist. Her arm immediately went limp next to her side. She tried lifting it, but it wouldn't move. Roxanne attached the end of the chain to the wall and walked out of the cell.

"Angela, are you alright?" Gabriel said, moving over the side of his cell, which was next to Angela's. The chains attached to his arms rattled as he moved.

"I can't move my arm," Angela answered, a little panicked.

"That's because that bracelet shorts out any mechanical technology that it is attached to. As long as you're wearing that, your arm is useless," Alex explained.

I watched wearily as all my friends were chained to the walls of their cells.

Alex opened the door to my cell and walked in, leaving the door open. He didn't approach me, just stood in the middle of the cell, holding a chain and shackles in his hands. I was at the side of the cell, holding onto Jim's hand behind my back.

When Alex moved towards me, I panicked and bolted for the open door of my cell. I wasn't thinking, I was just reacting. Jaegar blocked the door to the cell and grabbed my shoulders. I struggled and screamed. He spun me around and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up and carrying my back to the middle of the cell. I was kicking and screaming the whole way.

Jaegar set me down and grabbed my arms by the elbows, forcing my hands out in front of me. Alex clasped the metal cuffs around my wrists. They were connected together, so I couldn't move my hands apart. Alex connected the chain to the ceiling. The chain was short, so my hands were held above my head and I my heels barely touched the floor.

I was really scared now. I was very vulnerable in this position, and there wasn't much I could do about it. I just prayed that whatever was going to happen wouldn't be too painful.

Alex motioned for Jaegar to leave the cell.

He and I stared at each other for a while. His expression was evil, but also slightly amused.

Alex reached his hand up towards me, and I closed my eyes and flinched, turning my head away. I felt the back of his hand stroke my cheek. I shivered in fear.

I opened my eyes a crack and found them locked with Jim's worried gaze. I tried to put on a brave face, but I felt Alex's hand start to lift up the bottom of my shirt. I gasped and whipped my head back around to face him.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed.

"Looking for the scar," he answered, not looking at me.

He was referring to the bullet wound that he had given me those many years ago. It had left a scar, but it didn't bother me too much.

He fingered it gently. It tickled, and I squirmed around, trying to move away from him. He looked up at me and stared into my eyes with a curious expression.

"Last chance to change your mind," he said. He brought his hand up to move a loose strand of hair out of my face and stroked my cheek.

I spit in his face. It was stupid, and I regretted it the moment I did it, but I kept my expression angry and unafraid.

Alex grabbed my braid with the hand that had been stroking my cheek and pulled my head back. I inhaled a quick breath through my teeth and tried to ignore the pain. I could see Jim in the corner of my vision, clutching the bars of his cell and staring at me fearfully.

I turned my gaze back to Alex. He was wiping my spit off his face with the back of his hand.

"Very well. You have made your choice," he hissed, letting go of my braid.

He looked over at Jaegar and nodded. Jaegar walked into the cell, carrying a cup filled to the brim with an amber colored liquid. He handed it to Alex, then walked out of the cell. Alex turned back to me.

"What is that?" I asked wearily.

"This is a special little concoction that I created myself. It combines the sleeping venom of Snacadiens and the petals of the somnio-vereor flower to create a type of potion that targets a certain part of your brain," Alex explained.

"What part of your brain does it target?" Iris asked from across the hall.

"It targets the part of your brain that involves fear," Alex answered without looking away from me.

My eyes widened slightly at the thought of what could happen to someone who had to drink that. Then I realized that I would be drinking that, and my eyes really got wide.

Alex smirked at my expression and started towards me, bringing the cup towards my face. I closed my mouth and turned my head away. But Alex just roughly grabbed my chin in his hand and turned it back. He brought the cup to my lips, but I kept my mouth shut tight. Some of the liquid poured down the side of my face and onto my shirt.

Alex pulled the cup away from my face and I dared to open my eyes.

I saw Alex's hand let go of my chin and move up to my face. He grabbed my nose and pinched it shut. I wouldn't be able to breath soon, and I would have to open my mouth just a bit to get some air in. I held out for as long as I could, but I eventually opened my mouth, just a crack, to suck in a breath. The cup was automatically on my lips again. Alex tilted it so that the liquid entered my mouth. It came so suddenly that I almost started choking on it. But I swallowed it. I thought that once I swallowed some, Alex would make me stop. But he kept pouring the liquid down my throat until the entire cup was empty, and it was a large cup.

But once it was empty, he pulled it away. I coughed a bit, recovering from the strange taste of the liquid.

I felt the effects of the drink immediately. I started to get really drowsy, and when I looked at Alex, who was smirking, the room started to swirl. My entire body felt limp, and the only thing keeping me up were the chains attached to the ceiling. A moan escaped my lips. I wanted to just give in and fall asleep, but I kept my head up just long enough to turn my gaze towards Jim.

His expression was one of extreme concern and anxiety. He was clutching the bars of the cell and staring at me with wide eyes. His mouth moved, but the sound was muffled in my ears, but I'm pretty sure he said my name. His image became very blurry.

"Jim," I whispered, just before my head nodded forward and I was cut off from the world around me.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Wow! I haven't written in forever! **

**I'm sorry to keep you all waiting for so long. My life has been SUPER CRAZY! Everything is going on right now. And its only gonna get busier. I don't know how long it will be before I can write again. But I'll try! **

**So don't have much to say about the chapter. But Tell me what you think! I keep getting super generic reviews from you guys, and I want to hear something better than that. I want to hear your personal thoughts on the chapters. Those help me out better in the long run and they make me feel better than the simple "loved it!" or "can't wait for more!" Tell me exactly what was going through your head when you read this, and do the same in the future. **

**Until next time! **

**Leave a review! **


	12. Chapter 12

Forever and Always

Chapter 12

As soon as I fell asleep, the nightmares began. The most horrible images I had ever seen permeated every inch of my mind, and they rolled through my head like pictures of a movie.

I was sitting in the orphanage. Everything was eerily silent, and I searched every room for any sign of life. But there was no one. I was completely and utterly alone. And that scared me. No one to talk to or to hold. No one to laugh with and share my happiness. It was horrible, and I couldn't stand it. I curled into a ball in a corner and cried.

I heard a noise, and when I looked up I saw Jim walking by.

"Jim!" I said, bolting up and looking at him hopefully. He stopped walking and looked me up and down, a guarded expression on his face. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and assumed an uninterested position.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

My face fell and my heart plummeted.

"It's me, Raphaelle. You're girlfriend," I said, reaching out for him.

He backed away from my hand and smirked.

"Girlfriend? In your dreams. You're not my type," he said rather mockingly.

He started walking off.

"Jim!" I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and turning him around.

He pushed my hand away and glared at me.

"Look, I don't know who you are and I don't really care. Now leave me alone," he said.

I was so stunned that I just stood there as he walked off. When I regained my senses, he was boarding his solar surfer.

"Jim wait!" I called, running after him.

But I was too late. He had already started the surfer and was speeding off. I was left standing in the dust at the edge of a cliff.

Suddenly, the cliff broke, and I was falling into an endless black abyss. I was screaming as I fell down. But above my screaming, I could hear voices.

_You're all alone. _

_No one likes you. _

_No one will ever want you. _

_Even your own parents didn't want you. _

_What makes you think that anyone would ever want to be around a pathetic girl like you? _

_You'll always be alone. _

_And there's nothing you can do about it. _

I put my hands over my ears, trying to block out the voices. But I could hear them inside my head.

"Stop it!" I screamed, trying to get the voices to stop.

_He never loved you. _

_There's nothing about you to love._

_You're nothing to him. _

"STOP IT! SHUT UP! STOP IT!" I screamed again.

Suddenly, I landed on the ground, since I had still been falling the whole time.

I tried to get up, but was too weak. It was raining, and I was lying next to a dirt road. I lifted my head up and looked around. A little ways up the road, I saw the familiar lights of the BenBow Inn. Just then, I saw someone walking down the road. I recognized Jim.

"Jim," I croaked, barely able to use my voice.

He stopped and looked at me. I could barely make him out in the rain and darkness of the night.

"Help me," I pleaded, reaching my hand out towards him.

He looked around, as if making sure no one was there. He looked at me one more time before he continued walking down the road towards the Inn.

I watched him walk away until I couldn't make him out anymore. My tears mingled with the rain falling into the dirt.

Everything changed, and I was the deck of the R.L.S. Legacy. Scroop had me pinned to the mast by my throat. He was choking me, and I was starting to lose consciousness. I kept waiting for Silver to come and save me. Only he never came.

Suddenly the ship was in the middle of a huge solar storm, brought on by an exploding star. I was thrown over the boat, but my lifeline kept me attached to the boat, thanks to Jim.

I saw Jim at the edge of the boat, a panicked look on his face. He was pulling me back onto the ship by my rope. I thought I was saved. But then Scroop pushed him down, and I fell back again. He chuckled and opened his sharp claws. My eyes widened as I realized what he was about to do. He cut my rope and I screamed as I was drawn into the black hole.

I opened my eyes and found that I was in the center of Treasure Planet. Jim and I were tossed off a small ship and onto a platform. Jim kept falling until he went over the side and grabbed onto a ledge jutting out of a wall.

"Jim!" I yelled.

"Help!" he cried.

"Reach for my hand!" I called, stretching out my arm towards him.

He and I stretched our arms as far as we could, trying to reach each other. Just as our hands grasped, the ledge Jim was holding retracted into the wall. His hand slipped out of mine and he fell down. He wasn't able to grab onto another ledge, so he plummeted into the fiery river of lava below.

"NO!" I screamed, tears pouring down my face as I watched him fall to his death.

Suddenly something exploded, and I fell over the edge of the platform. I screamed as I fell down.

As I was falling down, I saw Silver looking back at me, driving the boat full of treasure away. There was no emotion in his eyes.

I fell into the lava, and then everything went black.

I could hear familiar voices, and could just barely make out what they were saying.

"Stop it! She's had enough! Just let her wake up!" a voice shouted.

"No. She hasn't. I need to make sure she's broken before I wake her up," another voice said.

I felt someone tilt my head back, and liquid poured down my throat.

I fell asleep again, and the nightmares continued.

I was in a cell, and Alex was standing in front of me. He advanced on me before I could react. He started kissing me. I tried to push him away, but he was too strong. I bit his tongue, but he didn't pull away. I could taste his blood in my mouth. I struggled as hard as I could. He pulled out a knife and brought it down on my arm. I screamed into his open mouth. It went on for hours. I stopped struggling and just watched the blood drip down my arm. Finally, I passed out.

When I came to, I found myself in a barren landscape. Things were going on all around me.

I watched Angela flying around, trying to get away from Roxanne. She swooped down on top of Angela and broke her mechanical wing. Angela fell tumbling through the air down a cliff. Gabriel tried to fly after her, but Roxanne fought him. She cheated and shot him in the wing. He spiraled out of control down the cliff just like Angela. I watched the whole thing, unable to do anything.

I turned around and saw Jennifer and Nerita drowning in quicksand. I tried to pull them out, but there was nothing I could do.

Iris, Adelaide and Austin were all swept up by a tornado and carried off to who knows where.

I turned around again and saw Delbert and Amelia unconscious on the floor. Jaegar had the children backed into a corner. His fangs gleamed as he advanced towards the children. I closed my eyes, afraid to witness what would happen next. But I still heard each of their cries as they were bitten.

I turned again, and found myself facing Alex. He had a sword and started swinging it at me. I dodged it as well as I could, since I didn't have a weapon of my own. He pushed me and I fell to the ground. He pulled out a pistol and just held it for a moment. Our eyes locked. Then he smirked.

He pointed the pistol at Jim and fired. As the bullet entered his side, our eyes met. Jim's pained expression felt like a knife being jabbed into my side. He fell down to the ground and remained motionless. I got up to go to him and try and help him, but Alex grabbed my wrist and held me back. I struggled against him and tried to slap him, but he just caught my other wrist. I continued to struggle. He pulled me close to him so that our noses almost touched. I stopped moving and stared fearfully into his green eyes. He smirked and leaned down so that his mouth was next to my ear.

"You're mine now," he whispered, sending chills up my spine.

I screamed like I had never screamed before, but it was futile. No one was going to save me. Not from Alex or from my fears. My nightmares ravaged on.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So now you guys know what the potion does. It gives horrible, horrible nightmares, with absolutely no relief of being able to wake up. Pretty horrible huh. **

**So the question is, how long has this been going on? Cause a moment in the dream world can really be like hours in the real world. And sometimes there's like hours in between each dream sequence. So how long has Raphaelle had to experience these horrible nightmares? And what has been going on in the real world while all of this has been going on? **

**You'll find out in the next chapter. **

**Please leave a review letting me know how I did. **

**If some things seemed rushed or frantic, or don't make sense, I probably planned it like that. Cause dreams can seem weird and rushed and not make sense. Most of these dream sequences are not connected to each other. **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn by other people for the story! **

**Leave a review! **


	13. Chapter 13

Forever and Always

Chapter 13

While Raphaelle was experiencing her nightmares, Jim and her friends had to watch her suffer.

Very soon after she fell asleep, she started to scream. It was the worst thing that anyone had ever heard. And there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

Jim was distraught. He pounded and kicked the bars, desperately trying to break them and get to her. He paced his cell and tried to pull on his chains, letting out cries of frustration at his inability to help Raphaelle.

Finally, Jim sat down in his cell and covered his ears with his hands and hid his face in his knees. But he still couldn't block out her screams. He silently cried, wishing for her pain to stop soon.

Everyone else was affected by it too. Angela moved to the edge of her cell, where Gabriel sat on the other side. She rested her head on Gabriel's shoulder through the bars. He held her hand for support as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out Raphaelle's screams.

Everyone else just sat in their cells, staring at nothing and trying not to let the screams shake their very cores. But that was an impossible task.

"Mommy, why is Ralphie screaming?" Danny asked, clutching his little stuffed dog.

Amelia pulled him close into a tight hug and pet his head lovingly.

"She's having a nightmare right now," Amelia explained to him.

"Why won't she wake up?" he asked.

"Because something's keeping her from waking up," Amelia replied.

"Will she ever wake up?" Brittany asked.

"She will, eventually," Delbert answered.

Raphaelle continued screaming for three days.

After a day in a half, she stopped screaming for an hour. Everyone figured that she was waking up and her torcher was over.

But then Alex walked in, and he had another giant cup of the potion.

When Jim saw this he jumped up and ran over to the bars next to Raphaelle's cell. Alex walked into her cell and moved towards her with the potion.

"Stop it! She's had enough! Just let her wake up!" Jim shouted.

"No. She hasn't. I need to make sure she's broken before I wake her up," Alex responded.

He tilted her head back and poured the entire cup down her throat.

Alex smirked at Jim, who glared right back at him.

"You monster, you jerk, you…you…" Jim spat.

"Pirate," Alex answered, still smirking.

Alex gently lifted Raphaelle's drooping head by her chin and moved towards her face.

"Leave her alone!" Jim yelled, kicking the bars again.

Suddenly, a little pink object shot towards Alex's head, chirping and screaming and drawing him away from Raphaelle.

"Morph!" Jim exclaimed, a smile breaking out on his face.

Morph rapidly changed between objects and hit Alex on his head and exploded in his face. Alex tried to bat him away, but the little blob was too fast for him.

"Somebody catch the little devil!" Alex ordered.

Roxanne moved quickly. She grabbed a jar and caught Morph while he was distracted. She closed the lid, sealing Morph inside, and handed the jar to Alex.

Alex examined the pink shape shifter darting around the inside of the jar.

"So this is Morph," he said, smiling evilly.

Alex looked at Jim, who was glaring at him darkly.

"Well, I suppose this will make a nice pet," Alex said.

He left the cell, bringing Morph with him.

Raphaelle's screaming started up again, and Jim sat down again, trying to block out her blood-curdling cries.

Jim made a promise to himself then. He swore that he would never let her feel such pain again. He would make sure she never screamed like that again. He would get her out of this, and he would do anything to make sure that she was never afraid again. He didn't know how he was gonna do it, but he would do it.

In the middle of the third day, her screams stopped for a moment. Jim dared to lift his head up. She was completely motionless. Everyone else was staring at her as well.

Her mouth opened and she threw her head back, letting loose the most primal scream that any of them had ever heard.

Jim covered his ears and yelled. He couldn't control his reaction, he just responded. The past three days had built up a lot of stress in his system, and this last event just pushed him over the edge.

_I'll never let anyone hurt you like this ever again, _he thought.

Her screams continued well into the night. Nobody slept in those three days, except for Raphaelle.

But nobody really considered that sleeping.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Here's what was going on while Raphaelle was experiencing her nightmares. **

**So just in case it wasn't clear, Raphaelle experienced this for three days. **

**And Morph finally appeared, but unfortunately Alex got a hold of him. What will become of our beloved little pink blob? **

**If you ever see any grammar mistakes, please let me know. I can't stand having grammar mistakes, so if you ever see any, please let me know. I would really appreciate it. I'm a real stickler for perfect grammar. **

**Check out deviantart for awesome art done for my stories! **

**Leave a review! I love to hear them! **


	14. Chapter 14

Forever and Always

Chapter 14

Raphaelle had been quiet for almost an hour now. Jim knew that Alex would be coming back soon to give her more of the nightmarish liquid.

Jim wouldn't let her suffer anymore. He didn't know exactly what he was gonna do, but he was gonna try. He would beg and plead and even take her place if he had to. Anything to stop her pain.

When he heard the door open, he stood up quickly and moved as close to the bars as his chains would allow.

He only heard one pair of footsteps, and they sounded heavier than Alex's. Whoever it was sounded like they walked with a limp. Then Jim heard a different sound. It sounded like…gears?

Just as Jim thought this, the person turned the corner and stepped into view of everyone.

"Silver!" Jim exclaimed with relief.

"Jimbo! There yeh are. I've been searchin' for yeh for a while now. What happened?" Silver asked as he cut the lock on Jim's cell door with a blow torch.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Alex captured us. We've been here for three days now," Jim explained as Silver started to unlock the chains around his wrists.

Silver noticed Amelia in the cell across the hall and stared at her.

"Cap'n," he said, nodding his head in greeting.

"Silver," she replied.

"Pirate! Somebody Help Us! He's got Jimmy!" B.E.N. shouted.

"B.E.N., calm down. He's a friend," Jim said.

B.E.N. immediately shut up.

"Jim, who is this?" Austin asked.

"This is John Silver, the pirate from our adventure to Treasure Planet. I told you guys about him," Jim answered.

"So this is the famous Silver," Nerita said, peering from across the room.

Silver smiled sheepishly as he finished unlocking Jim's shackles.

Jim rubbed his sore wrists as he and Silver walked out of the cell and towards the next one; Raphaelle's.

"What's da matter wit' Raphaelle?" Silver asked as he started to cut through the lock of her cell door.

"Alex gave her some drink that he created. It puts her to sleep and gives her horrible nightmares. She's been screaming for the past three days." Jim said.

"She isn't screamin' now," Silver stated.

"It lasts for about a day and a half, and then she stops for an hour. I was expecting Alex to come back, when you walked in. What happened to the crew?" Jim asked.

"I put some sleeping powder in da food. They shouldn't be wakin' up fer a while," Silver said, smirking.

Silver opened the door to Raphaelle's cell and proceeded to pick the lock on the shackles holding her hands above her head.

As soon as the shackles opened, Raphaelle's limp body fell towards the ground. Jim fell to his knees and caught her.

"Go ahead and get everyone else out. I'll stay here until she wakes up," Jim said to Silver.

Silver nodded and proceeded to free everyone else from their cells.

Jim looked down at his unconscious girlfriend lying in his arms. Her hair covered her face. All her thrashing from the past three days had disheveled her neat braid and thrown bits of her hair over her face. Jim gently tucked the strands behind her ear and looked at her face. Her lips were slightly parted and tear tracks stained her cheeks. Jim licked his thumb and wiped the dry stains away.

Jim ripped his gaze away from Raphaelle to watch Silver get everyone out of their cells and chains.

After Silver had gotten about half of the people out, Jim heard a soft moan. He looked back down. Raphaelle was starting to come to.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Short Chapter, I know. **

**So who was waiting for Silver to show up? Well, here he is! **

**So is Raphaelle nightmare finally over? Or is there more to come? **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories! **

**P.S. Summer has finally started! Well, it started on June 1st, but I haven't had inspiration to write until now. But my days are free all day, so I should get a lot of writing done. Stay tuned!**

**Leave a review! They make my day! **


	15. Chapter 15

Forever and Always

Chapter 15

My nightmares stopped, and I was only aware of the fact that there were no terrifying images in front of me. Slowly, soft muffled voices penetrated my consciousness. They got louder and clearer, but I couldn't focus on what they were saying.

I felt a warm presence holding me, and involuntarily moaned. I felt safe, even though I didn't know who was next to me.

I felt a hand gently stroking my cheek. I sighed contently and leaned against it. The hand held my face in it as my mind slowly started to gain focus.

My eyes fluttered open and I gazed up into the loving face of my boyfriend. He was smiling, but he looked very tired. There were dark circles under his eyes, and concern was etched into his face.

"Jim," I rasped. It felt like daggers were in my throat, and I could barely get any sound out. What little noise I could make was strained and barely recognizable as my voice.

I brought my hand up to my throat to communicate that it was hurting.

"Shh. Don't strain yourself. You've been screaming for the past three days. You've probably damaged your throat a bit," Jim said.

"Is this a dream? Another nightmare?" I asked, fear spreading through me.

"No. You're awake. You're finally awake," he reassured me, gently squeezing my hand.

"Water," I whispered, unable to ignore the pain in my throat anymore.

"Does anyone have any water?" Jim asked, looking up at people I couldn't see.

"Here," a familiar voice said.

Jim caught a canteen in the air and unscrewed the top. He tilted it into my mouth and I greedily gulped it down. The cool water soothed my sore vocal chords. When I had finished the canteen, I decided to ask some questions.

"What happened?" I asked, just barely above a whisper.

Jim smiled before answering.

"A friend came to save us," he said.

He looked up at someone on the other side of the hall. I tried to turn my head, but couldn't do it all the way.

Jim helped me sit up very slowly, making sure that I didn't faint or get dizzy. I turned around and saw Silver picking the lock on Angela's shackles.

"Silver!" I exclaimed, making my throat hurt, but I didn't care.

"Good ta see yeh, lass," Silver said, giving me a smile.

"But how…?" I began, turning towards Jim.

"I told you I sent a letter to Silver before we left, remember?" he answered, giving me a cocky half grin.

"I still think that was dangerous, but right now, I'm kinda glad you did," I said, returning his smile.

"Jimbo, can yeh an' yer friends help get everyone else out. Dis one may take me awhile ta unlock," Silver said.

He was trying to open the shackle on Angela's mechanical arm, but it was difficult. Jim got up and attempted to open the door to the cell holding Amelia, Delbert and their kids. I stayed on the floor of my cell and let my body rest against the bars.

I looked over at Silver and Angela and listened to the exchange between them.

"So you're the cyborg Raphaelle told us all about," Angela stated.

"She talked 'bout me?" Silver asked, keeping his eyes on what he was doing.

"Yeah. She told me about you when she was helping me…adjust to my new body," Angela answered.

"Ah yes. Yer the angel girl t'at Jimbo and Raphaelle wrote 'bout. It nearly broke me heart when t'ey explained how yeh lost yer wing," Silver replied.

"I've learned how to use the one they gave me. I can fly like a pro now," Angela said.

Silver took a good look at her mechanical arm for the first time.

"Dat's some fancy machinery yeh got t'ere," he stated.

"Yeah. It looks pretty realistic, but it doesn't do much. Not like yours. I can see why Raphaelle thought mine was so different. Yours is much different from anything I've ever seen. Not that I've seen many other cyborgs before," Angela said, smiling at Silver.

He smiled back and chuckled. He finally unlocked the device on her arm and she was able to use it again.

"Thanks," she said, moving it around and making sure everything worked.

Everyone else had been sprung from their cells. Jim came back over to my cell and helped me stand up, holding onto me in case my legs gave out.

I was able to stand on my own and walk, though I took it easy and didn't walk too fast.

"So now what?" Iris asked as we all gathered in the middle of the hallway.

"Now, we escape," Jim answered.

"What about Morph?" B.E.N. asked.

"Oh, yeah," Jim muttered.

"Where is Morphy?" Silver asked.

"Alex caught him," Jim answered.

"How?" I asked, keeping my voice in a whisper.

"He darted out at Alex when he tried to kiss you while you were asleep. Roxanne caught him in a jar and Alex took him away," Jim explained.

"So what should we do?" Adelaide asked.

"Silver, you make sure everyone gets out. I'll go look for Morph," Jim said.

Silver nodded and everyone headed up towards the deck of the ship.

We stopped at the door to make sure the coast was clear.

"Okay, you guys go one by one across the deck. Make sure you can duck and hide behind something at all times," Jim said.

Captain Amelia and Delbert went first, with their children in between, followed by Gabriel and Angela.

"I'm going with you," I whispered to Jim.

"No, you have to get out of here," he said.

"I know where Alex's room is. That's bound to be where he took Morph. And it's hard to find. It'll take you forever to find his room," I explained.

Jim stared at me for a while, his brows furrowed. He sighed, looking away from me.

"Fine," he relented, looking back at me, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

I didn't celebrate my victory, I simply nodded.

Jim looked at Silver.

Silver nodded and Jim turned back towards me.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing my hand.

We sneaked along the walls, checking around corners to make sure there were no pirates who had woken up early. We saw several asleep on the floor, but they didn't stir as we passed by them.

I instructed Jim on which ways to turn and we eventually made it to Alex's room.

Jim slowly turned the handle and opened the door, peeking his head in.

"The coast is clear," he said, opening the door and pulling me inside.

I looked around; making sure Alex wasn't in there, asleep or awake. The room was empty.

I looked around the room for Morph, but couldn't see him. I headed further into the room, thinking to search under the bed.

"I found him," Jim said.

I turned around and saw him pull a jar out of a drawer. Inside was a buzzing pink blob. Jim opened the jar and he flew out, flying around Jim's head.

"Hey buddy, it's good to see you too," Jim said, smiling and trying to follow the shape shifter flying around his head.

"Jim, I think he's trying to tell us something," I said.

Morph was buzzing around frantically, and he seemed distressed and was trying to communicate something with us.

I tried to think of what could be distressing Morph.

That's when I remembered the cloaking devices.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Dun Dun Dun! Suspense! Am I good at it or what? **

**So sorry to dissappoint those of you who thought that Raphaelle would have some sort of crazy scared reaction to Jim when she woke up. I've already done that, so sorry to dissappoint you. Hopefully, you will be satisfied by what is to come. **

**Not much else to say. **

**Bet you all forgot about Morph didn't you. Well, not me. As you can see, his capture was planned. **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories. **

**Leave a review! They make my day! **


	16. Chapter 16

Forever and Always

Chapter 16

"Jim! The cloaking de-" I started, but was cut off when my arm was wrenched behind my back and a knife was brought to my throat.

Jim's eyes widened, then his face hardened and he took up a fighting stance. Morph dove fearfully into Jim's pocket, his head just peeking out and staring at us.

"Take one step and she gets it," Alex said, pressing the knife against my neck.

"I thought you wanted her for yourself," Jim said, not moving from where he was.

"If I can't have her, no one will," he answered, tightening his hold on my arm.

They had a stare down for what seemed like forever. I decided to break the silence.

"How come you weren't asleep?" I asked.

"You think I eat the same thing as everyone else? I trust no one. I make my own meals," Alex replied.

"So now what?" I asked.

"Well, seeing as you and your friends attempted to escape, there are going to be some consequences," Alex hissed.

"Do what you want to me, just leave them alone," I said.

"I'm calling the shots here. I think it's time that your friends understood the consequences their actions will have," he threatened.

"What are you going to do to them?" I asked hesitantly.

"I wonder if the potion has the same effects on other people as it does on you," Alex said barely above a whisper. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could hear the evil smile behind his voice.

My eyes widened and panic took over. I brought my free hand up to my neck and tried to pry Alex's arm away from my throat.

He pulled back the arm he was holding more, causing me to wince and stop my struggles.

"Why don't I start with your boyfriend? Maybe watching him scream will make you think twice about your decisions in the future," he hissed into my ear.

"NO!" I shouted.

Jim tensed up and made as if to move towards me. Alex moved the knife to a different part of my neck. Jim stayed where he was.

"You don't tell me what to do," Alex said.

"I'LL STAY!" I yelled.

"…What?" he asked.

"If you let them go, I'll stay," I said, my voice shaking.

"What are you trying to pull?" Alex asked warily.

"Nothing. No tricks, no lies. I promise I'll stay with you forever if you let all my friends go," I said, tears threatening to form in my eyes.

"…Deal," he said, but he didn't take the knife away from my throat.

"Raphaelle, no. What are you doing?" Jim asked, confusion written all over his face.

"Jim, just go," I said, trying not to break down when I looked at him.

"No, I'm not leaving without you," he said, taking a step forward.

"I could still do it, you know," Alex said, referring to the knife still poised at my throat.

Jim didn't take another step, but he didn't leave either.

"Jim, please go. I don't want to see you suffer. I'll be alright. Just go and make sure everyone gets out alright," I said, giving him a smile that I hoped was reassuring.

"I'm not leaving you behind," he argued.

"Jim, I love you, and I will always will, but I don't want to see you get hurt. Please, do this for me," I pleaded.

He stared at me, a sad and defeated expression on his face.

He slowly backed out of the room. Then he ran down the hall and out of sight. Only after I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore did Alex finally take the knife away from my throat. He didn't let go of my arm though.

"I'm going to take care of something. Don't go anywhere," he whispered evilly into my ear.

He let me go and walked out of the room, locking it behind him.

I just stared at the door for a while, not sure what to do. I sat down on the bed and looked around the room.

I didn't stay on the bed too long. It felt weird and I didn't like thinking about it. I stared at the bed for a while, thinking that if I stared at it hard enough it would burst into flame.

My back was to the door when I heard it unlock.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Another short chapter, I know. **

**So that didn't turn out so well. Raphaelle sacrifices herself to save her freinds! So noble! **

**Who was suprised that Jim would actually leave her behind? Well, with a knife pressed to her throat, he didn't have much of a choice. **

**Speaking of, who was surprised that Alex would rather kill Raphaelle than see her with another guy? Well, he is a bad dude. **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories!**

**Leave a review! They make me happy! **


	17. Chapter 17

Forever and Always

Chapter 17

Jim ran out on deck and searched for his friends. He saw they were already off the ship and heading back towards their own boat. He passed by pirates passed out on the floor, including Roxanne and Jaegar.

He caught up to his friends back on the ship.

"Where's Raphaelle?" Iris asked, a confused look on her face.

"Alex got her," Jim said, panting from his run.

"And you just left her there?" Jennifer said, her tone accusing.

"He had a knife against her throat! What could I do?" Jim argued.

"So how are we going to get her back?" Nerita asked.

"I don't know," Jim said.

"We're gonna have to fight," Amelia said.

"But he might kill her if we try and fight," Jim said. "And we're outnumbered."

Just then, a ship came flying out of the clouds and landed next to theirs.

"Not anymore," Amelia said, smiling triumphantly. "Those are the reinforcements I was able to call just before the pirates captured us."

The reinforcements boarded their ship and Captain Amelia explained the situation to them. A plan was formulated and preparations were quickly made to carry it out.

Everyone was given a sword and a gun, and they gathered around to make sure everything was clear.

"Let's go," Jim said, tucking his gun into his pocket.

The whole crew made their way towards Alex's ship.

When they boarded, the first thing everyone noticed was that there were no longer pirates passed out on the floor. In fact, there were no pirates in sight at all.

Suddenly, the pirates appeared out of nowhere. They all had weapons and immediately headed for the crew.

Jim and his friends joined in the fight, going for the pirates and keeping them occupied.

"Jim, go! Find Raphaelle so we can get out of here!" Gabriel yelled, locking blades with a pirate.

Jim pushed the pirate he was currently fighting away and started running towards Alex's room.

Pirates came at him on the way, but he just knocked them out of the way and kept going.

He reached the room and kicked the door open.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Yeah, this chapter is really short. But its just a filler chapter. I'll get the next one up soon, and it will be longer. **

**Don't have much to say about this chapter. The fighting will be more intense in the next chapter, so don't worry. **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories! **

**Leave a review please! They make me happy!**


	18. Chapter 18

Forever and Always

Chapter 18

I knew it was Alex who was opening the door, so I didn't turn around.

He quickly came up behind me and grabbed my wrist, holding it against my stomach. His other arm came up in front of my chest and grabbed my chin, holding it in place. His face was right behind mine, and his breath tickled my ear. I shivered in fear.

"So, you've finally decided to be mine," Alex whispered. He chuckled before continuing. "Smart choice."

He spun me around and grabbed onto my shoulders before placing his lips onto mine. I didn't try to stop him, just waited until he was finished. He stuck his tongue in my mouth, and I didn't try to block it out.

He pulled back abruptly and looked at me, a questioning look on his face.

"What?" I said with absolutely no emotion in my voice.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" he asked, his tone expressing that he was annoyed.

"What do you mean?" I asked, very confused.

"You always fight back. That's what I like! I want you to fight me!" he said, obviously frustrated.

"You've already fought for me. You won. You have me now," I said, keeping my voice monotone.

"I want you to fight me now! I want you to keep fighting me forever!" he said, raising his voice and shaking me.

"I give up. I'm done fighting," I said, looking away from him.

Alex shoved me roughly against the wall and gathered both my wrists in one hand, holding them above my head.

"Fight back!" he ordered.

He roughly kissed me, trying to bring me to resist him in any way possible. But I didn't. I didn't have the motivation.

Alex pulled away again and slapped me, turning my head to the side with the force.

I turned my head back to look at him and show him that I wasn't fazed.

He threw me down onto the floor and stared down at me angrily.

"Fight back!" he yelled, his voice full of fury.

"No," I answered, looking him in the eye.

He descended on me before I could react. He captured my wrists in his hands and pinned them beside my face.

He looked down at me with an angry and evil look in his eyes. Now I was really scared, and it must have been reflected in my eyes, because that evil grin broke out on his face.

He kissed me roughly, ravaging my mouth with his tongue and trying to elicit some response from me. I whimpered, but I refused to fight back and give him what he wanted.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Alex stopped kissing me to look at who it was. I turned my head to look as well.

"Jim," I said, a smile forming on my lips.

He didn't look at me, he only glared at Alex.

"Get off of her," he ordered.

Alex smirked and started to pull his knife out of his pocket. Jim quickly pulled out his gun and shot the knife out of Alex's hand.

"Impressive," Alex said, getting off of me.

He kept a hold on my wrists and pulled me to a standing position. He pulled my arms behind me, then brought me in front of him, using me as a shield.

"Now we are at a stalemate," Alex said.

"Why don't you and I settle this? Just the two of us," Jim proposed.

"Alright. I'm game," Alex replied.

He let go of one of my arms and moved me out to the side. Jim pulled out his sword and took a fighting stance.

I watched Alex carefully, wondering why he wasn't letting me go if he was gonna fight. That's when I saw his hand reaching for his pistol.

_He's going to cheat! _I realized. _Time to put those fighting classes from the Academy to use._

I wrenched my hand out of his grasp and turned to face him. He was stunned for a moment. That was the perfect opportunity.

I brought my leg up and kicked him across the face, knocking him to the floor.

While he was recovering, Jim grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room, running towards the deck.

"You came back," I said, smiling.

"I'll always come back for you," he replied, looking back at me and smiling.

We reached the deck, where everyone was fighting.

Angela was in the air, fighting Roxanne. They were sword fighting, and they appeared to be evenly matched. Gabriel was fighting with Jaegar, who was in his snake form. They were also fighting with swords. Gabriel was in the air, so he had the advantage of higher ground.

Everyone else was fighting with the rest of the pirate crew, except for Dr. Doppler, who had opted to stay behind on the ship and watch over the children.

Some pirates headed towards Jim and me, but I didn't have a weapon, so I hid behind some crates while he took care of them.

He looked around for me and I waved at him from behind the crates.

"I think I need a weapon," I said to him.

"Probably," he said, giving me a smile.

A pirate ran up behind Jim.

"Jim, look out!" I said, pointing behind him.

Jim turned around and knocked the blade out of the pirate's hand, catching it in mid-air. Then he kicked the pirate away.

"Here," he said, handing me the sword.

"That's more like it," I said, smirking.

Jim and I turned to face our opponents and fought like we had never fought before. I was very glad I had taken all those fighting classes at the Academy.

Somehow, Jim and I got separated, and I ended up next to the weapons storage of Alex's ship. Inside was a bow and a sheath of arrows. I decided to take them, just in case, and slung them across my back.

I turned back to the chaos and saw Alex was fighting against Captain Amelia. She was holding up pretty well against him, and he didn't seem to like that, so he flung her away and looked for a new opponent.

He saw me and smirked, walking towards me slowly and twirling his sword, trying to show off. I took up a fighting stance and waited for him to make the first move. I didn't have to wait long. Soon we were constantly moving, hitting our blades together and trying to get the upper hand over the other.

"What happened to giving up? What happened to you'll stay with me forever?" he asked as we clashed blades.

"That was only to save my friends. Now the tables have turned," I replied.

We locked blades, and our faces were only inches from each other.

"Are you sure about that?" Alex asked, a cocky grin on his face.

I was momentarily confused, and that was all he needed.

Alex twisted my blade around until it was flung out of my arms and into the wall ten feet away.

I stared at the sword lodged into the wall, absolutely stunned for a moment. While I was distracted, Alex swung my legs out from under me, sending me to the floor. He pointed his sword at my chest and I glared up at him.

"You know, I'm starting to think you're more trouble than you're worth," Alex said.

Alex pulled his sword back and started to plunge it back towards me, aiming for my heart. I was paralyzed by fear.

I heard a yell coming from the side, and the next thing I knew, Jim was there and he hit Alex's blade out of the way.

Jim was furious, and he was putting everything he had into each blow. Alex held back and simply blocked the blows with his sword.

I got up and looked for my sword, but another pirate had dislodged it from the wall and was heading towards me. I looked around for a weapon, but couldn't find one. Then I remembered the bow.

I pulled it out of the sling and quickly loaded an arrow. The pirate coming towards me was an easy target, so I wasn't worried about my aim. I pulled back my arrow and let it fly, hitting him in the leg. I didn't want to kill anyone, just disable them. The pirate fell to the ground, yelling in pain.

I turned around and looked to see if anyone was in trouble.

Several pirates headed towards me. I quickly took them out with arrows and moved to higher ground, climbing atop a pile of crates.

I noticed that Iris and Adelaide were back to back, surrounded by pirates. Their situation didn't appear to be going in their favor, so I shot a few arrows into the backs and legs of a few of the pirates, evening out the odds.

Adelaide gave me a thanking salute, which I returned, before she dove for one of the pirates.

Iris was fully immersed in the fight. Her hair and eyes were blood red, and she was moving with a grace like no other. She was definitely excelling in her fighting classes at the Interstellar Academy.

Suddenly, a sword landed next to me. I looked up and saw that Roxanne had knocked Angela's sword out of her hand.

Angela was flying around, trying to get away from Roxanne, who was chasing after her, her sword pointed at her biological wing.

I knew I had to help her, but I only had two arrows left, and Roxanne was a much harder target to hit.

I pulled back my arrow and aimed carefully. I took a deep breath, and let it go.

For a moment, I thought I had missed, but then the arrow lodged itself right in Roxanne's black feathery wing.

She screamed and spiraled towards the ground, barely landing on her feet.

"Angela!" I yelled.

She looked down at me and smiled, waving. I picked up her dropped sword and threw it into the air. She dove down and caught it, thanking me before she flew off to face Roxanne again, now that she had the advantage.

I loaded my last arrow and looked around to see if I could put it to good use.

My eyes were drawn to Jim and Alex, who were still fighting.

Jim was the one blocking Alex's blows now, and he seemed to be growing tired.

Alex hit Jim's sword around in a circle, finally managing to knock it out of Jim's hand.

There was some sort of exchange between them, in which Jim was facing the point of Alex's sword, but I was too far away to hear what was going on.

Alex pulled his sword back, and I knew he was going to plunge it into Jim's heart.

I quickly pulled back my last arrow and aimed, hoping that all those hours of practice in the woods would pay off.

Then I let it go.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Told you guys this chapter would be longer, and filled with excitement! **

**So, in case some of you haven't figured this out yet, Alex is sick and a little psycho. I mean, he finally has Raphaelle, and he just wants her to fight back? That's not weird at all right? But hey, that's what makes him such a great villan. **

**And again, I make it suspenseful! That's kinda my thing! **

**So, will Raphaelle's aim be true? Or is this the end of Jim Hawkins? **

**Guess you'll have to wait and find out! 'evil giggle'**

**Check out deviantart for awesome art drawn for my stories! And if you want to draw, just let me know! If your good, then I'll give you a scene to draw! If your not, but you know someone who is, you can communicate to them for me! **

**Leave a review! I want to know what you thought of the chapter! I like hearing detailed reviews of what went on through your mind at each moment in the chapter! I like to know how people react. It lets me know whether or not I achieved what I was going for. **

**Thanks! You guys make it all worth while. **

**Oh! And if you ever see any grammar mistakes, please let me know. I like having perfect grammar, and I miss things sometimes. So if you ever see any grammar mistakes, please tell me immediately! I appreciate it! **


	19. Chapter 19

Forever and Always

Chapter 19

Time seemed to move in slow motion as my arrow sailed towards Alex. His sword moved closer and closer to Jim. What I didn't anticipate was Jim dodging the sword, and moving right in the line of my arrow.

"Jim! Get down!" I yelled.

He listened and pressed himself flat against the floor.

Just as he moved out of the way, the arrow went sailing over him and straight into Alex's shoulder.

He yelled out in pain, and everyone on the boat stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. He dropped his sword and stared at the arrow lodged in his shoulder.

Jim quickly picked up the sword and pointed it at Alex, making sure he didn't move.

While all the pirates were distracted, our crew and the reinforcements took the opportunity to disable them and put them in handcuffs.

Captain Amelia came behind Alex and pulled his arms behind him, locking them in shackles.

"Captain Alex, you are hereby arrested on the charges of piracy, kidnapping, and so many other crimes that would take far too long to recite," she said.

"Take these pirates to the brig and send the medic down to care to any major injuries," Amelia continued, handing Alex off to a crew member to take back to our ship.

As the pirates were escorted off the ship, Roxanne and Jaegar were led by me, hands tied behind their back. Jaegar was pretty beat up and was bleeding in several spots on his tail. He bared his fangs and hissed at me. Roxanne still had the arrow lodged in her wing, and she glared at me as she walked by.

"This isn't the last you've seen of us," she threatened.

I just stared at her as she was herded off Alex's ship and towards ours.

"Hey," Jim said, coming up behind me. "Are you okay? You're shaking."

I looked down at my hand, which was still holding the bow, and realized he was right. I was trembling like a leaf.

"I almost killed you," I stated.

"That was my fault. I didn't know you were shooting," he answered.

"I've never shot someone before," I said.

"You did what anyone would have done. And you didn't aim to kill. That was really noble of you," he replied, moving around so that he was in front of me.

I looked up into his face.

Suddenly, everything started to spin. The bow fell out of my fingers as they went limp.

"Jim," I gasped, falling forward.

He caught me immediately and sank to the floor, letting me rest in his arms.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" he asked, searching my body for injuries.

I looked up into Jim's face, whose spinning was starting to slow down.

"I feel dizzy," I said.

"Is something wrong?" Captain Amelia said, walking up to us.

"Raphaelle practically just fainted. She says she feels dizzy. It doesn't look like she's injured. What's wrong with her?" Jim asked.

"Let me see," Amelia said.

She leaned down and looked me over, checking my eyes and forehead for a temperature. I was still shaking, but I didn't feel cold.

"She's just tired and in shock. She's been running on adrenaline since she woke up. She just needs to rest and she'll be right as rain," Amelia said, smiling at us reassuringly.

I smiled back, mostly because I was glad everything had stopped spinning.

"I'm fine, Jim. I just need to rest for a while," I said, smiling at him.

"Do you want me to carry you back to the ship?" he asked.

"No, I think I can walk," I answered.

Jim helped me stand up, and we started walking towards our ship. However, I kept stumbling and almost fell asleep walking a couple of times.

Jim picked me up and started carrying me the rest of the way. I started to protest, but he interrupted me.

"Just relax and get some sleep. When you wake up you'll feel better," he said softly.

I smiled at him and let myself relax. I was asleep before we made it back to the ship.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So, Raphaelle was able to aim well, but I'm sure that you guys were freaked out for a second there. You probably were all like "Oh no! Jim's gonna get shot!" But don't worry, that mini heart attack was all for nothing. **

**So everything is resolved...or is it? **

**Even though this chapter did not end in a heart-wrenching cliff hanger, there is still more to come. So stay tuned! **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories! **

**Leave a review! They make my day, and I really do love hearing your opinions! **


	20. Chapter 20

Forever and Always

Chapter 20

I woke up feeling much better than I had in a long time. I figured it must be the next day, as sunlight was pouring through the window. I got up and stretched, then decided to wash up.

I put on a clean black shirt, black pants, and my black boots. I braided back my wet hair and adjusted my necklace before walking out on deck to see where everyone was.

The crew members were going about their usual business, but I didn't see any of my friends. I decided to check the galley.

I walked down into the galley and found Silver cooking something. He looked up from his work and smiled at me.

"Good ta see yeh, lass. I was wonderin' when yeh'd wake up. How'd yeh sleep?" he asked.

"Pretty good. Whatcha making there?" I asked.

"Me famous Bonzabeast stew. Are yeh hungry?" he asked.

"Starving," I replied.

He poured me a bowl and I hungrily devoured it. When I was finished, Morph flew out from somewhere in the kitchen and stared at my empty bowl longingly.

"Hey Silver, I think someone here wants seconds," I said, holding the little gelatinous shape shifter in my hands.

"Here yeh go, Morphy," Silver said, pouring more into my bowl for him. Morph immediately slurped it all up.

"So where is everyone?" I asked.

"They're in teh Cap'n's quarters, discussing what's ta be done 'bout Alex," he replied.

"I should probably be a part of that," I said, getting up from my seat.

"Probably," Silver agreed.

I left the galley and walked towards the Captain's quarters. I knocked on the door before peeking my head in.

"Ah, Raphaelle, we were just starting. Come in," Captain Amelia said.

I walked in and took a seat next to Jim at a large round table. Sitting around the table was Angela, Gabriel, Iris, Adelaide, Jennifer, Nerita, Austin, Delbert, Amelia, and Jim and I.

"Now then, we were discussing what is going to happen to Alex and his accomplices. Once we get back, we shall hand them over to the authorities, and they shall be tried for their crimes. Obviously, they shall be found guilty, as there are enough witnesses. Raphaelle, do you wish to act as a witness in the trial?" Amelia asked.

"I don't ever want to be in the same room with him ever again," I said, looking down at my hands in my lap.

"I understand. Like I said, we have more than enough witnesses among the crew to prove his guilt. Once he is found guilty, we, as the victims, have the right to determine what his punishment will be," she continued.

"I say we request the maximum punishment. The galaxy will be better off without him," Jim said.

"No," I said.

Everyone turned to stare at me, disbelief written all over their faces.

"But he's a horrible person who deserves to die," Jim continued.

"Yes, he is a terrible person, and maybe you're right, maybe the galaxy would be better off with him gone, but I don't think that's the right decision to make," I explained.

"How do you mean?" Amelia asked, appearing to be truly interested in my opinion.

"It's not within my rights to decide whether someone lives or dies. That kind of decision shouldn't be given to a single person. I believe that he should be locked away for life. That way he can actually pay for what he has done," I said.

"That is very honorable and I can respect that decision. So we shall request life in prison for all of them. Agreed?" Captain Amelia said.

"Agreed," everyone responded.

"Very well. On to the next issue; Mr. Silver," Amelia said.

"Please don't arrest him! He came to save us! He saved you and your children! Don't you think that earns him the right to be let off the hook?" I exclaimed.

Captain Amelia stared at me for a while, her expression blank. She glanced at Dr. Doppler, who nodded.

"Mr. Hawkins, go fetch Mr. Silver and bring him here," she ordered.

Jim got up and left the room. While he was gone, I fidgeted anxiously with my necklace, twirling it in my fingers.

He came back with Silver following suit.

"Yeh wished ta see me, Cap'n," Silver said, a little nervously.

"Mr. Silver, as a wanted pirate, it is my duty to arrest you for your many crimes and for simply being a pirate," Captain Amelia started.

My heart felt like it had dropped to my feet. Silver appeared to be distressed as well.

"However, as you have helped rescue myself and my children, I feel obligated to wipe your slate clean. From now on, I shall not arrest you, so long as we are not in public situations. But you can visit Mr. Hawkins and Raphaelle on Montressor and not fear being arrested by me," she finished.

I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face.

"T'ank yeh very much, Cap'n," Silver answered, giving a bow.

"Thank you everyone, that is all," Amelia said, dismissing everyone.

We got up from the table and went out on deck. As soon as Captain Amelia closed the door to her cabin, I squealed and hugged Silver.

I realized that everyone was staring at me and pulled away.

"Sorry," I said, looking down to hide the rosy flush of my cheeks.

"It's alright, lass," Silver said, giving me a one-armed hug.

"This is great! Now you can come and visit us sometimes," I said, smiling at him.

"Dat I can," he replied, smiling back.

"So how are you feeling?" Angela asked.

"Much better. I had a good night's sleep," I said.

"That's great to hear," Gabriel said.

"So how long until we get back to Montressor?" I asked.

"We're only a few days away," Jennifer answered.

"So we're gonna be really bored for the next few days," Nerita said sarcastically.

"I'd rather be bored than in a life-threatening situation," Iris said.

We all laughed.

We separated and all searched for some way to entertain ourselves. I climbed up to the crow's nest and stared up at the swirling cosmic clouds.

Jim climbed up to join me a while later. He stared up at the clouds with me in silence for a while before he spoke.

"That really was honorable of you to spare his life like that. He doesn't deserve it," he said.

"I just don't think anyone deserves to die, no matter how evil they are. And I especially don't want to have to make that kind of decision," I replied.

"You never cease to amaze me," Jim said, smiling.

"What does that mean?" I asked, sitting up and looking down at him.

"I mean, like, you're so nice and considerate of others, even when they are the worst people imaginable. It's just amazing. I don't understand it, but it's admirable. You've spared Alex's life, even though he has taken advantage of you and hurt you in so many ways," Jim explained.

"I guess it's just my nature," I said, shrugging.

"Don't ever change," Jim replied, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Okay," I answered.

We stayed in the crow's nest until it got dark, then everyone headed down to the sleeping quarters for the night.

I changed into my blue nightgown and lay down in my hammock, staring at the ceiling. I started to doze off into a half-asleep state. Terrifying images flashed through my mind, and I woke up with a start. I looked around, but nobody was looking at me, so I figured I must not have been screaming.

I got out of my hammock and went out on deck. No one was there, so I leaned against the ship's side and stared out at the stars.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" a voice said behind me.

I knew it was Jim, so I just sighed and closed my eyes. He walked over to stand next to me.

Jim took the elastic out of my braid and brushed my hair out with his fingers. Because it had dried in a braid, it was wavy and caught the breeze easily.

"You're hair looks better when it's down," he said.

I smiled, but it must not have been very sincere.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I didn't answer, just looked down and studied the wood of the ship.

"It's the nightmares, isn't it?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I didn't hear you scream," he stated.

"I woke up before it got really bad," I replied.

"Jim, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"I'm gonna help you with that," he said, putting his hand over mine.

"How?" I asked, looking up into his eyes.

"You never have nightmares when I'm sleeping next to you," he replied.

"Yeah, but generally its frowned upon when a girl and a guy sleep together," I said.

"I have a solution for that too," he said, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

I raised my eyebrows questioningly, urging him to go on.

"I can't stand to see you in pain, and I can't imagine living without you. I love you so much, and I would do anything for you, and you're the sweetest, smartest, most talented, most amazing girl I've ever met," Jim said, a sweet smile lighting up his face that made my heart melt.

"Jim," I said, smiling at him. "That's really sweet, but what are you trying to say?"

"This," he replied.

Jim took a step back and reached for something in his pocket.

Then he kneeled down on one knee and held out a small open box, and nestled inside was a glinting diamond ring.

"Raphaelle, will you marry me?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So the next chapter, the one you have all been patiently waiting for, is finally up. **

**Now, before I get to the part you are all probably screaming your heads off about, let's discuss the other parts of the chapter. **

**So yeah, Raphaelle has spared Alex's life and opted for life in prison. She just doesn't believe that she has the right to make the decision as to whether someone lives or dies. That's just how she rolls. **

**And then you guys all probably had a heart attack and thought Amelia was gonna arrest Silver, but she didn't. She let him off the hook, again. He sure is lucky. **

**Okay, now you may resume screaming your heads off. **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories, and contact me if you want to draw something and I will give you a scene. **

**If you see any grammar mistakes, please let me know! **

**I expect a review from all of you for this chapter. Detailed reviews are preferred, but I have a feeling a bunch of you are just gonna write "AAAHHHH!" That's probably what I would do. But if you can collect your thoughts, please leave a nice detailed review of what went on in your mind. **

**Thanks guys! You make it all worthwhile! **


	21. Chapter 21

Forever and Always

Chapter 21

I couldn't believe what was happening.

But there he was, down on one knee, holding out an open box with a diamond ring inside.

I involuntarily brought my hand up to cover my mouth. At the moment, I was too shocked to really feel any other emotions.

Jim was still talking.

"I felt something for you the first moment I laid eyes on you, and since then you've changed me for the better. I love you so much, and not only as my girlfriend. You're also my best friend. I want to be with you forever, and I'll always be there for you. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you be mine, forever and always?" he asked, beautiful smile lighting up his face.

A single tear slid down my cheek, and I was finally able to respond. I nodded my head, my hand still covering my mouth, so Jim couldn't see me smiling.

"Really?" he asked, not quite believing me.

I took my hand away from my mouth so he could see my smile.

"Yes. Yes. A hundred times yes!" I said.

Jim laughed joyously, and I couldn't help but join him. He stood up and lifted me by my waist, spinning me around.

When he put me down, he pulled me in for a kiss. I was smiling, and I could feel that he was as well.

Somehow, this kiss seemed different from all our other kisses. In a way, it felt more real than any of our others. I thought back to our first kiss, and decided that it was even better than that.

When we pulled apart, I rest my forehead against Jim's and closed my eyes, simply enjoying our proximity.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," Jim said back.

We pulled apart and I looked up into his eyes, unable to get rid of the smile on my face.

"Let's get this ring on your finger," Jim said.

He pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto the ring finger of my left hand.

"There," he said.

"Jim, this ring is absolutely beautiful," I exclaimed, admiring it on my finger. "But when did you have time to buy this?"

"Well, remember when my mom and I were talking before we left to go find Alex? I told you she was getting a compass and a telescope for me. Well, that wasn't true. I was telling her that I was planning to propose to you, and she offered to give me her engagement ring," Jim explained.

"So this was your mother's?" I asked, looking at the ring in a new light.

"She hasn't worn it since my dad left. She wanted you to have it," he said.

"That's so sweet, and it's so beautiful. Lucky we have the same size finger," I said, giggling.

"Now come on, let's go get some sleep," Jim said, taking my hand and leading me back down to the sleeping quarters.

He lay down in his hammock and pulled me in with him. After wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and closed his eyes.

I smiled and glanced down at the ring on my finger before I closed my eyes as well.

I slept without a single nightmare. In fact, I had wonderful dreams about all the good times Jim and I had ever had.

When I woke up, Jim was smiling down at me and sunlight was pouring from the grating above, illuminating his silhouette. I smiled up at him.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," I replied.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Amazing," I answered.

"See," he said.

"I never doubted you," I said, leaning forward to kiss his nose.

"Let's go get some breakfast," he said, sitting up in his hammock.

I got up and went over to my hammock, pulling the curtain around me as I changed. I pulled on a white shirt, brown pants, and my black boots. I adjusted my necklace and brushed my hair out. I stared at the ring on my finger before pulling back the curtain and meeting Jim to go to the galley for breakfast.

We walked down the steps, hand in hand, to meet the rest of our friends who were already eating breakfast.

"Mornin' kiddos," Silver called from the back of the kitchen.

"Good morning Silver," I said as I took a plate of food that Silver set out.

"So how did you guys sleep last night?" Gabriel asked, his tone and smirk indicating he had seen us together.

"Great. How did you sleep Gabriel?" I said in the same tone.

He shook his head and laughed under his breath.

Jim and I sat down next to each other at a table, across from the rest of our friends. Delbert and Amelia were sitting at another table, along with their children.

After we finished eating, we sat around and talked for a while.

"Raphaelle, what's that on your finger?" Iris asked, noticing my ring.

"Oh, it's just something Jim gave to me," I answered, trying to hide my smile and blush behind my hair.

"Wait a minute," Nerita exclaimed, noticing the ring for the first time. "It's on your left hand. That finger is reserved for…" she trailed off.

She looked at my face and I knew she could see the blush and smile that I couldn't seem to get rid of.

"No way! You guys are engaged!" she squealed.

"Wait, really?" Jennifer asked.

I nodded, my smile getting wider by the minute.

"Oh my gosh! That's wonderful!" Angela said, giving me a big hug.

"Did I hear you correctly? Did you say that the two of you are engaged?" Amelia asked, getting up and walking over to us.

"Yeah. He proposed to me last night," I answered.

"Well, Mr. Hawkins, I believe congratulations are in order," she said, reaching her hand out to shake Jim's.

"Thank you, ma'am," Jim replied, shaking her hand.

"Congratulations Jim. I wish you both a long and happy life together," Delbert said, shaking Jim's hand.

"Congrats dude," Gabriel said, slapping Jim's back the way guys do.

"Yeah man, way to go," Austin said, punching Jim's shoulder.

"Thanks guys," Jim replied.

"This is amazing! You're getting married!" Iris exclaimed.

"I knew you two would get hitched someday," Nerita announced.

"I think we all knew. You guys are like soul mates," Adelaide stated.

"Ralphie," a small voice said.

I looked down and saw Brittany tugging on my shirt, surrounded by her sisters.

"Can we come to the wedding?" she asked.

"Of course you can. In fact, how would you three like to be my flower girls?" I asked.

"Yeah!" They exclaimed.

"What do you say Captain?" I asked, making sure it was okay with her.

"Of course. It would be an honor," she replied.

"And Daniel can be the ring bearer," I said, looking at him.

"That's girly stuff," he said, making a disgusted face.

I smiled at him and laughed.

"Come on, for me," I said, giving him my best puppy-dog face.

"Alright," he relented, rolling his eyes, but giving me a small smile all the same.

"You're the best," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Uh-oh, looks like you have some competition there Jim," Gabriel joked.

"I want all you guys to come," I said, turning to my friends.

"Of course we're gonna come. Even if we had to crash the wedding, we would have showed up," Nerita replied.

"We'll settle all the details when we get home," Jim said, putting his arm around my shoulder.

"In the meantime, I believe this calls for a celebration," Captain Amelia said. "Mr. Silver, prepare a fancy meal for tonight."

"Aye Cap'n. What be teh special occasion?" he asked. He hadn't heard us from back in the kitchen.

"The engagement of Mr. Hawkins and Raphaelle," she answered.

"Well, I'll be. Congrats ta teh both of yeh," Silver said.

"Thanks," I replied.

That night, there was a huge party in the galley, and the whole crew was there, drinking and laughing and telling stories. I got bored, and decided to get some fresh air out on deck.

I leaned over the side of the ship and let the breeze push my hair back.

I heard someone come out on deck, and judging from the mechanical whir of gears, I figured it was Silver. He walked up beside me and leaned against the side of the ship, smoking a pipe.

"How come yeh aren't in t'ere, enjoyin' yer party?" he asked.

"I needed some fresh air," I replied.

I looked down at my ring, and Silver followed my gaze.

"Are yeh nervous 'bout gettin' married?" he asked.

"A little, but, I mean, I love Jim, so it's gonna be fine," I said, giving him a smile that I hoped was reassuring.

But Silver could tell that something was bothering me.

"What's da matter, lass?" he asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I sighed before I answered.

"I was just thinking about how at weddings the father leads the bride down the aisle. But I can't do that, so it makes me sad," I explained.

"Oh, I see," Silver replied, giving me a sympathetic look.

I looked out at the stars, and then an idea came to me.

"Silver, you've been like a father to me from the moment we met. You've helped me learn so many things, and you've guided me when I felt lost. You are like the father I never had. So I guess, what I'm trying to say is…would you…maybe, like to walk me down the aisle?" I asked hopefully.

Silver smiled at me through a touched and tearful expression.

"I would be honored," he said.

I felt like crying, so I hugged him and buried my face in his stomach. He wrapped his arms around me and returned the hug.

"Thank you," I whispered.

When he let me go, I had to wipe a few loose tears that had escaped my eyes, and Silver did the same.

"Now then," he said, clearing his throat. "Why don't we get back ta dat party?"

"Sure," I said.

We walked back to the galley and laughed and conversed for the rest of the night.

When the party finally ended, Jim and I walked back to the sleeping quarters and fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**She said yes! But honestly, was there really any doubt that she would say otherwise. **

**So that was a nice moment between Raphaelle and Silver. I really tried hard to make that super duper emotional, and I hope I did a decent job, but I feel like I could have done more. If I think of something better, I will change it and let you guys know. **

**So, the story is starting to come to a close. I am sure you are all super excited to read about the wedding! Details to come! I'm excited to write about it. **

**And here comes my usual spiel.**

**If you see any grammar mistakes, please let me know. **

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories, and contact me if you want to draw something. **

**Leave a review! They make me happy! Until next time! **


	22. Chapter 22

Forever and Always

Chapter 22

The wedding was planned over the next couple of months. We decided to have it at the Inn, in the outside garden, since it was so beautiful.

In that time, Alex and his pirate cronies were tried and found guilty. They were sentenced to life in prison, and that was the end of that. After I found out that Alex was locked up in the highest security prison in the galaxy, my nightmares decreased in both number and severity. But they didn't disappear altogether. I would still crawl into Jim's bed at night after a particularly bad nightmare, and sometimes he would wake me up after I had been screaming.

The night before the wedding had finally arrived, and Jim and I decided to spend the night together one last time before we would be bonded forever. I slept peacefully through the night, despite my nervousness for the day to come.

When I woke up in the morning, Jim wasn't next to me. On Montressor, there was a tradition that the groom mustn't see the bride the day of the wedding until she walked down the aisle. So before midnight Jim's friends had come and woken him up and taken him downstairs to sleep for the rest of the night, and that's where he and the rest of the men would get ready all morning. The girls and I would get ready upstairs, away from the eyes of other men.

My bridesmaids, also known as my best friends, helped me get ready all morning, along with Mrs. Hawkins. Captain Amelia came and helped her daughters get ready, as all three of them were the flower girls. Delbert was downstairs, helping Daniel get ready. The three girls had white dresses with short puffy skirts. Pale pink ribbons and sashes accented their dresses, and the pale pink rose petals in their baskets matched. Amelia was currently pinning back Brittany's curly blonde hair and attaching bows to them. Jessie's dark brown hair was too short to pin back, so a clip with a ribbon attached to it had to be stuck in her hair. Rachel's red hair was just long enough to tuck behind her ear with a ribbon.

My friends all had the same bridesmaid's dresses. They were short and ended just above the knee, and they were a pale sky blue. They were sleeveless, with a heart shaped neckline. The dresses were tight around the waist, and puffed out after the hips a bit. A darker sky blue sash wound around their waists. There were no accents or silly flowers, ornaments, or ruffles all over their dresses. They were simple and elegant.

Though everyone looked beautiful in the dresses I had picked out, Angela wore it the best. She had on pale blue eye shadow that complimented her blue-green eyes. Her long blonde hair was straight, tucked behind her ear on one side with a simple butterfly clip.

Nerita looked the strangest in her dress, as she was the only one with green colored skin. But she didn't look ridiculous. She would definitely draw attention, but she did that on a daily basis anyway. Her green hair was curled, a first for her, as she preferred to leave it straight

Iris had decided to make her hair dirty blonde, and her eyes were emerald green, and they almost seemed to sparkle in her happiness. She had her hair pulled out of her face with a simple white headband.

Adelaide once again had donned her Asian guise, but her hair was long and braided into a bun. Jennifer had her hair pulled in a high ponytail, but small curled strands stuck out and hung in front of her ears, framing her face.

Mrs. Hawkins was helping me with my hair and makeup. My nails were shiny and painted in French style. My eye shadow was a light brown color. I had decided to go with a natural look. Sarah was currently applying my mascara. When she finished, she stepped back to take a look at her work.

"Alright. Let's go over to the mirror," she said.

We stood up and moved from behind the screen which had blocked us from everyone else.

When I stepped into view, everyone turned to look at me, and several people gasped.

"You look amazing," Nerita said.

"Breathtaking," Angela sighed.

"Ralphie! You look like a princess!" Brittany chimed.

"Thank you! You three look like little princesses yourself," I replied.

I went to look at myself in the mirror.

I almost didn't recognize myself.

The figure in the mirror was wearing in a long white dress with a curved neckline and spaghetti straps. The dress hugged my waist and flared out a bit after my hips. If I spun around in a circle, the skirt would puff out a bit, but not much. It was plain white, with no flowers or accents or designs. My hair was curled and half up in a curled bun and half left down. Small white flowers with pearls in the middle were inserted into the bun. I had opted out my locket for a delicate pearl drop necklace. A diamond hung just above the pearl.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart," Sarah said, coming to stand next to me in the mirror.

"Thank you," I said, smiling at her.

"It's almost time. Are you ready," Adelaide said, coming back in the room after checking downstairs.

Mrs. Hawkins inserted the wedding veil into my hair, which was a delicate rhinestone tiara clip.

"We're ready," she answered for me, handing me my bouquet of pale pink and blue flowers.

Amelia led her daughters downstairs to help set them up to be at the front of the procession. The girls grabbed their bouquets of pale blue flowers and headed out as well. Sarah accompanied me downstairs, where I would wait for everything to get set up.

When we got there, there was no sight of any boys, except for Daniel, who was at the front of the procession next to Brittany. He held a small pillow where our rings were situated. Behind the two of them were Jessie and Rachel. Then all my bridesmaids would follow, and finally I would be the last person out.

Mrs. Hawkins left me to go take her place out in the crowd. I searched around the room for the one person who would be standing next to me during the procession. I could make out his form in the shadows, and he stepped out just as I found him.

Silver wasn't wearing a tuxedo, but he was still all dressed up. He had on a new white shirt, nice black pants, and a new black coat. He still wore his old hat though, and nothing could hide his cyborg parts, not that I wanted them hidden. They are what made him who he was, and I wouldn't change him even if I could.

"Wow," he said, looking me up and down.

I blushed, unused to all this praise.

"Yeh look beautiful," he continued.

I looked down at my feet, except they were hidden under my dress.

"Thank you," I replied.

I could see something wet glistening in his eye, but he quickly brushed it away, making it appear like a casual motion.

Silver and I both turned to look when the music started to play.

"Shall we," Silver said, offering me his mechanical arm.

I smiled and took it.

"Let's," I replied.

Silver and I took our place at the back of the procession, which started indoors. Brittany and Daniel went out first, followed by everyone else.

All faces were turned towards us as Silver and I stepped into the light.

My veil did not cover my face, so everyone could see it, but I was only looking at one person, so there was a smile on my face.

Standing at the end of the aisle was the love of my life. Jim's hair was freshly cut, and his earring was removed. He was wearing a tuxedo, and he was staring at me, taking in the way I looked. I blushed and smiled at him, and he smiled back.

Standing behind him were Gabriel and Austin, and beside Austin was Daniel, still holding the rings. On the other side, where I would be standing, were all my bridesmaids, and my three little flower girls stood beside them, huddled together and smiling in delight.

Silver led me up to Jim, then he left me to go stand behind Austin in the line with the men.

The justice of the peace began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" he began.

I barely registered that he was speaking, I was lost staring up into Jim's eyes. Even after all these years, I still found myself entrancing by his beautiful blue eyes. They were like the dark blue canvas that framed the stars out in space, and they looked into mine with so much love and care.

"James Hawkins, do you take Raphaelle to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?" he asked.

"I do," Jim replied, not taking his eyes off of mine, and a sweet smile graced his lips that made my heart melt.

"And do you, Raphaelle, take James Hawkins to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?" he asked me.

"I do," I replied, smiling up at Jim.

"May we have the rings?" the justice asked.

Gabriel took the rings from Daniel and handed them to us. I placed Jim's ring on his finger, and he placed mine on my finger. Engraved on the inside of both was the date of our wedding, and also the words _Forever and Always, _the promise we made to each other.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride," he finished.

Jim took me gently by the waist and placed his lips onto mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him right back.

The crowd erupted into cheers and we pulled apart to smile at them.

Morph exploded into fireworks and confetti, and B.E.N. started crying hysterically. Mrs. Hawkins had tears in her eyes, which she brushed away with a handkerchief. Rachel, Jessie, and Brittany threw what was left of their basket of rose petals into the air around us.

The party was moved indoors, where the reception was being held. Jim and I cut the first slice of cake, and fed pieces of it to each other through intertwined arms.

Then Jim and I shared the first dance. The first song was sung by Angela, who had a beautiful voice. She was singing _Hundred More Years,_ which I helped her learn.

A guitar started strumming, and then Angela began to sing.

_A diamond ring and twelve red roses _

_Everything she ever wanted _

_All those dreams and now they're finally here _

_She's so young and he's so perfect _

_They waited for love and it was worth it _

_She wants to feel like this for a hundred years _

_All this life still yet to live and they can hardly wait _

_They can laugh _

_They can cry _

_The future looks so beautiful and bright _

_They can dance under the moonlight _

_'Cause God is smilin' down on them tonight _

_And she wants to stay right here _

_Make it last for a hundred more years _

_She's got blue eyes just like her mother _

_Three years old, he's crazy for her _

_He wants to freeze this day before it disappears _

_She's spinnin' like a little princess _

_Makin' sure he's gonna notice _

_He could watch her twirl for a hundred years _

_She'll grow up and she'll leave home but until that day _

_They can laugh _

_They can cry _

_The future looks so beautiful and bright _

_They can dance under the moonlight _

_'Cause God is smilin' down on them tonight _

_And he wants to stay right here _

_Make it last for a hundred more years _

_And it's only time _

_But it flies right by _

_And today is sweeter than we know _

"So, how does it feel to be my wife, Mrs. Hawkins?" Jim asked me.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed.

"What?" Jim asked.

"I have a last name!" I explained, smiling at him in delight.

He smiled back, understanding what that meant to me. I rest my head against his shoulder and we swayed back and forth to the rest of the song.

_And so they dance under the moonlight _

_While God is smilin' down on them tonight _

_And they want to stay right here _

_For a hundred more years _

The song ended and everyone clapped for Angela. She dedicated the song to us, and everyone clapped for us as well.

After the first dance with Jim, I danced with several other people. I danced with Gabriel, Austin, Dr. Doppler, even Daniel wanted a dance, though I'm pretty sure his sisters dared him to do it.

I turned to see who my next partner would be, and was surprised to find it was Silver.

"May I 'ave dis dance?" he asked, bowing to me.

"Of course," I answered, curtsying.

"Thank you for coming. It really means a lot," I said.

"Ah, t'was nothin'. I'd do anyt'ing fer yeh," Silver replied.

"You're going to leave right after, aren't you?" I asked.

He nodded.

"That's alright. I know how much you have risked staying here for so long. Promise you'll still write to us?" I said.

"Of course," he answered.

The song ended and we parted. Jim came up to me and brought me to a table to rest, where we ate some food, mostly cake, and watched everyone else dance and have fun.

I spotted Angela dancing with Gabriel. Her eyes were closed and her head was resting on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth. His eyes were closed and his cheek was resting on top of her head. They were both smiling.

The party came to an end that evening, and it was time for Jim and me to make our big exit. Everyone formed at giant archway with their hands and Jim and I ran underneath them towards his solar surfer.

He started it up and climbed onto it, I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Hold on," I said, stopping him from taking off. I let go of him and took a step back.

"Ready," I said, glancing behind me.

All the girls and women had formed a group behind me.

I turned around and threw my duplicate bouquet, the real one was stored somewhere safe, behind me. I turned around to see who would catch it. Everyone jumped up to try and catch it. I had thrown it badly, so it soared over everyone's head. Everyone except for one person.

Angela flew up in the air and caught the bouquet. I laughed and waved at her, and she smiled back, waving the bouquet at me.

I snaked my arms back around Jim and we shot off. We turned around and waved at everyone on the ground as we headed to our honeymoon suite.

A boat flew up next to us, and Silver waved at us from it.

"Good luck ta teh both of yeh! Enjoy each other, but not too much!" he laughed.

"No promises!" I shouted back.

He laughed heartily as he steered the boat away from us and off to who knows where.

Jim pressed a button and the sail retracted into the board, but he was able to steer with his feet still. He reached behind my back and scooped me up into his arms, carrying me bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck to make it easier on him.

"Are you ready?" he asked me.

"For what?" I replied.

"The rest of our lives," he answered.

"Definitely," I said.

He kissed me, and it was by far the best kiss we had ever shared.

We flew off into the sunset, wrapped up in our happiness and the warmth of each other's lips. When we pulled apart, I stared into his eyes, trying to pour all my feelings for him in one look. He appeared to be doing the same.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," he replied.

Our lips met again of their own accord, and the rest of the world melted away.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**It finally happened! They are finally together forever! Forever and Always, as the title says. **

**So our story is coming to a close, but don't start crying yet! There is still one more chapter left to this story! **

**I hope you liked the song. I was originally gonna use A Thousand Years, but I figured there were too many twilight haters who wouldn't like it. So I changed it to this song, but I like this song too, and I think its sweeter.**

**And Raphaelle finally has a last name! That may not seem like a big deal to you, but to her, that's pretty huge. And to share Jim's last name, well, that's just a dream come true, now isn't it.**

**Stay tuned!**

**Check out deviantart for some awesome art drawn for my stories! And since this one is almost done, all the scenes for this story will open up and be available to draw. So if you want to draw a scene from this story, you probably can! Just contact me on deviantart and I will give you a scene. **

**Leave a review please! They make my day! **


	23. Epilogue

Forever and Always

Epilogue

"But you're always the hero, Caleb! I want to be the hero this time!" a little girl told her brother.

"You can't be the hero, Ella. You're a girl. You have to be the damsel in distress!" the little boy answered.

"Mom! Caleb's not being fair!" she called.

I got up from the porch and went over to my children to resolve their argument.

"Caleb, be reasonable and let your sister have a turn at being the hero," I said.

"But then I have to be the damsel in distress!" he complained.

"Not necessarily. You can both be the hero," I suggested.

"But who's going to be the damsel?" Caleb asked.

"Ella, can you let Caleb borrow one of your dolls to use as a damsel in distress?" I asked my daughter.

"Of course," she said.

I watched my little 5 year old daughter run off to her room to get a doll.

It had been 9 years since Jim and I had gotten married, and a lot had happened in that time. We had two beautiful children, a 7 year old boy named Caleb, who was the spitting image of his father, and a 5 year old daughter named Isabella, but everyone called her Ella for short. She had red bouncy curls of hair and my blue eyes. She was courageous, adventurous, sweet, kind, and caring. Caleb was exactly the same, but he was also fiercely protective of his little sister, though he wouldn't admit it.

Ella came back out and brought her doll over to Caleb. They resumed their game, and even had a sword fight with their little plastic swords. Ella won, and Caleb got upset, but he redeemed himself in the next round.

Jim was the captain of his own ship, and he periodically went on voyages to help keep the galaxy safe from pirates and other vagabonds. I was his first mate, that is, until our children were born. I took a break to raise them. However, when the voyages weren't dangerous, we would bring them along.

When we weren't traversing the galaxy, we lived in a beautiful two story house on Montressor, not too far away from the BenBow Inn.

Our friends had all gone different ways, but we were still very close and spent time together whenever we could.

Captain Amelia was still a captain for hire and went on voyages across the galaxy. Delbert remained on Montressor, where he raised the children, though now, at 14 years old, they were considered teenagers.

Nerita became the ambassador for her planet, and she had a young son Caleb's age, named Kai. He had short spiky green hair and light green scales for skin, just like his mother.

Iris found herself a husband as well. He was half Mutator Formarum as well. They had a young daughter just a year younger than Caleb named Hazel. Her hair changed color just like them, but her eyes stayed the same. And they were hazel, which is where her parents got her name.

Jennifer became an admiral of her own fleet in the Queen's Armada. Jim served under her command on several occasions. Austin went on to teach physics at the Interstellar Academy.

After graduating from the Interstellar Academy, Adelaide went to a special secret school where she was trained to be a spy for the Queen's Armada. She couldn't write to us because of the danger it could present to us and herself, but she still came to visit. She could never tell us any of her adventures, and she had to adopt many aliases, but with us, she was always Adelaide.

Angela and Gabriel got married right after she graduated from the Interstellar Academy. They had two beautiful twin daughters Ella's age named Stella and Luna. Stella had golden blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her wings were fairy-like and a honey-gold color. Luna had silvery hair and dark blue eyes, and her wings were also fairy-like, though they were dark blue and very elaborate and detailed. Angela was currently expecting another child, a baby boy, according to the ultrasound. Gabriel and Angela did research in the hopes of helping make the lives of cyborgs easier. Angela also helped counsel those who were traumatized from their loss.

We had our children meet up whenever we could, especially during the summer. They all were great friends, and loved seeing each other.

Silver had come back to see both of our children when they were born, but other than that, he kept mostly to himself. We received letters from him often, and we always wrote back. He sent small gifts to the children from around the galaxy on their birthdays. He promised to come and see them one day, as they were always asking about him. We had told them lots of stories about our past, and they loved to hear about Silver, especially Ella.

Jim and I were still just as in love as the day we had married, if not more. All these years had been kind to us, and our love had grown even more and transformed into something even more beautiful than anything we could have imagined.

It was starting to get dark, so I called the children in to get ready for bed. Ella grabbed her doll and the two of them went racing past me to get ready for bed.

Before Ella could get up the stairs, Jim picked her up.

"And who might this little beauty be?" he asked.

"Daddy! It's me!" she giggled.

"Yes, it is. It's Ella my bella!" he smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Not Bella, daddy, Ella!" she corrected.

"I know. Bella means beautiful. You're my beautiful Ella!" he explained.

"Daddy, I don't want to go to bed!" she protested.

"You need your sleep," Jim tried to explain to her.

"But I'm not tired!" she exclaimed.

"What if your mother and I promise to come and tell you a story? Then will you go to bed?" he suggested.

She smiled and pretended to think for a minute.

"Okay," she replied, giggling girlishly.

"Go get ready and your mother and I will be up in a minute," he said, putting her down.

She ran up the stairs towards her room, shouting "Caleb! Mom and Dad are gonna tell us a story!" along the way.

I chuckled and Jim came over and hugged me, kissing me on the lips.

"You're such a good father," I told him.

"Well, I hope I'm doing a better job than my father did," he replied, frowning at the memory of his father.

"You are most definitely a better father than he was, and you always will be," I told him, kissing his cheek.

"Mom! Dad! We're ready!" Ella called.

"Our children are calling," I said, heading up the stairs, Jim following me.

Ella was in Caleb's room, sitting on his bed in her blue nightgown. I sat down on the bed next to her, and Jim pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. Morph flew into the room and snuggled on Ella's shoulder.

"Okay, what story do you want to hear tonight?" I asked them.

"Can you read us Treasure Planet?" Caleb asked, pulling Jim's old book off the shelf.

"No! We read that one all the time! Mommy, can you tell us the story of how you and daddy met?" Ella asked, looking at me with bright eyes.

I smiled at Jim, and he nodded his head.

"Alright," Jim agreed.

I cleared my throat and began our story.

"Well, it all started on a dark and stormy night…"

_The End_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So that's it. That's the end of Jim and Raphaelle's long story. I guess you all can cry now, though I hate to make you cry. **

**So I decided to name the kids Caleb and Ella. (I actually originally named her Melody, but I decided to go back and change it to Ella. I just couldn't have people seeing Melody from the little mermaid, so I changed it to something else.) **

**I'm sure you are all sad to see this story end, but I will still write short stories about them every once in a while. Most of them will be about Jim and Raphaelle before they got married, unless I specify otherwise. **

**I don't know if I will write a story about Ella and Caleb. I might, but I don't know. I want to try and write another story that I have been planning for a while. I will post it on deviantart and not here, since it is not a fanfiction. However, I might write some short stories about Ella and Caleb. It depends on what I feel like doing. **

**Well, I guess that's that. **

**As this story is now finished, all the scenes have been opened up for drawing. I will write them down and then contact people, asking them to draw some scenes. If you act fast, you might be able to get the scene you want! Just contact me on deviantart, and show me your art, and I will determine if I want you to draw that scene or not. I really appreciate all your help so far with drawing scenes for my stories.**

**Leave a review, for the last time. (so sad, I know how you guys feel. Imagine how I feel. I love these characters just as much as you, if not more.) **

**You guys have made this all worth while. **

**I want to thank EventHorizon6, who's stories inspired me to write mine. She's been a great supporter for my stories all this time, leaving reviews and just chatting with me. I love you so much, and always will. I will continue to support your own stories, as you have done with mine. **

**I want to thank all my supporters and reviewers. I will list my major ones here, as you have helped me out so much and made my day several times in the past. Thank you leoluvr6628, grapejuice101, TMNTdisneyfan2013, RuzannaLisa12, TThe Heart's Notebook, JamieMalik, IdaAreIda, Fragments-of-Reality, Jane R. Doe, and of course EventHorizon6.  
If I didn't list your name, its because I didn't have your name in my inbox or outbox. I love all of you, and I really appreciate you all. I hope you all know how much it means. Even those of you who never reviewed, I loved seeing a new favorite author/story alert in my email. I hope to continue seeing those even though this story has come to an end. **

**Oh, and since I came back to change this, thank you Josephine for the reviews. I'm so glad you loved my stories. And yeah, I hate it when author's don't finish their stories too. I would never do that though. Even if I didn't like the story anymore, I would at least have the decency to finish it. Thank you so much for the reviews. **

**Thank you so much! For Everything! **


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